A touch of Frost
by Eliza-Lou-Riley
Summary: Modern AU. It hadn't been a coincidence. Or perhaps it had been. Either way, Hiccup knows it had all been down to fate.
1. Meeting

It hadn't been a coincidence. Or perhaps it had been. Either way, Hiccup knows it had all been down to fate.

He can tell just by looking at him that he's shy – isolating himself on one of the benches in the corner of the mall, occasionally diverting his eyes up to glance at the people walking past, as if he's expecting someone. Blushing slightly whenever he catches a girl's eye and then hurriedly returning his focus back to the book he is reading.

He's…weird looking to say the least, if his hair is anything to go by. But the snow white colour compliments his pale appearance and those eyes are the bluest Hiccup has ever seen; the sort that tells a story and makes you want to be a part of it. His dress sense is less unusual; a royal blue coloured hoodie, tan jeans and combat boots, all of which show off his ridiculously slim figure.

Yeah, Hiccup is interested. But after glancing down at his own turtle green jacket, skinny jeans and geeky sneakers, his overall impression is that Fancy Boy over there is way out of his league.

"Distracted, are we?"

Merida's voice barely registers. He turns and raises his eyebrows at her, "Sorry?"

She laughs at him but not in a cruel manner, "You're miles away. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah right." Merida is not one to misread things; she and Hiccup have been friends since they were children and they know each other inside out. She can read him like a book. She can see the corner of his eye gazing across the mall, focusing intently on the unusual looking kid on the bench. He's cute, she agrees, and definitely up Hiccup's street. But he's as stubborn as a mule and she knows it well. He's only recently had the courage to come out – and a messy break up with his girlfriend left him feeling lower in his confidence than ever. Since then he's made a pact to steer clear of relationships until he's ready. But now he seems very interested. Very interested indeed.

"It's him, isn't it?"

He knows who she is referring to but he pretends he doesn't, "Who?"

"_Him_," her head flicks to the side, indicating to the boy in the corner, "You can't fool me, Hic. I saw you staring."

Hiccup blushes but refuses to agree with her, "I wasn't staring."

Merida flashes him one of her wicked grins and then she stands, "Alright then. You won't mind if I go and ask him for his number then."

His reaction is exactly what she expected; a flash of jealousy passes from one eye to the other and he stands up opposite her quickly, not realising he has raised his voice, "Don't!"

He blushes when he sees he has caught the attention of several onlookers and they sit again. Merida's cheeks are rosy pink and her eyes are wet from trying to prevent the laughter.

"I _knew_ it!" she hisses at him, "There's no need to look at me like that Hic, he's _cute_. You should go and talk to him."

"Are you nuts?" Hiccup snaps in response, "Anyway, how do you know he's even…you know…interested in boys?"

"How do you know he _isn't_?"

Hiccup's mouth opens to respond but he decides he's in no mood to argue. He waits around for a while, waiting for the kid's girlfriend – or boyfriend, if he _did_ swing that way – to show up and put his mind at ease. At least he could settle down his heart if he knew he was already taken; he hated waiting in suspense, unsure of whether to approach or not, incase he came under the angry gaze of some jock boyfriend or homecoming queen if he did.

The boy suddenly looks up from his book and their eyes meet; a soft smile graces his lips, gentle and dainty, the sort you wouldn't find on any sort of woman. But it's his eyes that enchant Hiccup the most. He's lost in them and he can't help but stare like a fool, his mouth curling up into an awkward smile while he fights to prevent the blood from rushing to his cheeks.

But then the boy's eyes shift and when Hiccup glances over his shoulder he sees a blonde girl, her hair falling all the way down to her hips in a golden plait, wearing pink and very high heels come hurrying up, a huge grin on her face, waving in excitement. He tries to suppress the bitter disappointment surfacing from his gut. She's pretty,_ very_ pretty. And when she approaches the boy his shy like demeanor seems to melt away and he surrounds her in a hug.

Hiccup tries not to be too thrown off about it. But still, he's disappointed. He stares at the blonde girl, as they begin talking – well, _she_ begins talking – and wishes she wasn't quite as attractive as she was. She was probably a very nice person…stupid witch…no, he shouldn't think like that. He should be happy for them. Anyway, it wasn't as if she had _stolen_ this gorgeous boy from him. They'd never even met!

Still, he avoids Merida's eye and leans down to suck up the rest of the shake that he's barely touched. He's so busy studying the table that he doesn't notice that Merida's the one staring now and she's still grinning. He wonders if she's laughing at his expense, though that seems unlike her. Or maybe she's being tactful and is silently mocking the blonde bimbo to make him feel better. Either way, it doesn't help. He just wants to get out of there and spare himself from getting furtherly embarrassed.

But Merida's hand suddenly whips out and clutches his arm. He glances up, wondering what the hell she's doing and then realises she's still staring at the couple in the corner. Only they're no longer _in_ the corner. They've started walking right in his direction.

Holding hands.

No, not holding hands.

She's holding his arm and dragging him along and he seems to be pleading at her, trying to tug himself free. Hiccup wonders if he's done something to piss her off but she's grinning like a madman and looking in his direction.

Hiccup's direction.

They reach their table and the blonde girl releases the boy, excitedly hopping over, "Excuse me? I'm so sorry to bother you but…man, this is so weird but…okay, my name's Rapunzel – I know right, weird name- and the long and short of it is, my friend Jack over there-" she motions to the cute looking kid, whose pale cheeks are now flaring red, "-has been staring at you for like, the last twenty minutes. And I told him he should totally come and talk to you but, you see, he's kinda shy and…well, he's gonna kill me for telling you this but he gets kinda awkward about this sort of thing. Anyway, he thinks you're really cute and I was just wondering-"

"-if he can have his number?" Merida blurts out before Hiccup can even speak.

Before Hiccup even knows it, she's got hold of his cellphone and hands it in Jack's direction; he's currently hiding behind Rapunzel, too shy to come forward and Hiccup comes to the conclusion that he really isn't interested and finds this whole situation humiliating. Hiccup wants to reach up and snatch his phone back, sparing them both from feeling ill at ease but Jack gets there first and carefully takes it from Merida's hold, whipping out his own cell to type down the number.

Hiccup waits in anticipation, twiddling his thumbs. He's going to kill Merida later, but for now his focus is on Jack. He has to have some interest, even if it's only a little. Unless he's doing this simply out of pity. Yeah, that's probably it. He's sparing Hiccup's feelings so he won't look like some sort of asshole in front of the girls. There's no way he'll actually bother to contact him. He doesn't look like the sort of boy who mixes with people who aren't unconditionally beautiful.

Jack stops typing and hands the phone back to Hiccup; their hands brush against each other briefly and he almost drops it on the floor. He can see Merida stifling a laugh from the corner of his eye and wants to throw it at her face. But then he glances up and realises that Jack is smiling again; it's small but meaningful and he has no choice but to smile back, only just being able to resist squirming in his seat. Now they've exchanged numbers, there's no turning back.

He stands and all of sudden they're dangerously close and a wave of heat passes between them. Hiccup can't think of anything intelligent to say, so instead he murmurs, "I'm Hiccup."

Jack raises his eyebrows and Hiccup wonders if he's going to start laughing. But it's simple amusement and it quickly melts back into a gentle smile.

Hiccup wants to stay longer, but he knows that his dad is expecting him home soon. He tells this to Jack, who seems to understand a lot about overbearing fathers and before he and Merida head off, Jack carefully moves forward and gives him a friendly hug. It only lasts for a minute, but it sends all sorts of thoughts spiralling through Hiccup's head and suddenly he's forgotten how to breathe.

Later on, after having to put up with Merida's endless teasing all the way back from the mall, Hiccup goes straight to his room to begin studying, deciding not to get his hopes up about Jack ever texting. Still, he leaves his cell on and he glances at it occasionally as he attempts to work; after a while his dog, Toothless, comes in and falls asleep on his bed, prompting him to finally turn off his reading lamp and get ready for bed also. Just as he's getting in, his phone vibrates from his bedside table and when he flicks it on, expecting it to be Merida still looking for a laugh, he has to re read the text just to make certain that he's not hallucinating from tiredness.

_Just making sure you didn't give me a bogus number _

_- Jack xx_


	2. Asking

_Is it too soon to ask you out?_

Hiccup feels a fool for asking that question. But he can't help himself. He's been texting Jack for about two weeks now and the two have even got round to exchanging each other's email addresses to use on Skype. Jack looks even prettier on a webcam, as he nervously attempts to create conversation. He's trying too hard, he knows that. He isn't normally this shy; but Hiccup seems to send a fire raging into both cheeks, singeing them red.

They've got to the point now where talking is less awkward; perhaps it's because they've got to know each other and it's less like strangers talking and more like...well, acquaintances...or maybe even _friends_ talking. Hiccup knows he has to take it slowly before he actually pops the question of asking Jack out. After all, he still needs to ensure that Jack really is interested.

But it_ has_ been two weeks. And soon even seeing Jack via webcam doesn't seem like enough. He wants to see him in the flesh – he_ needs_ to see him, otherwise he's convinced he'll go completely insane.

Jack takes a while to reply and Hiccup's worried that he's asked too much, too soon. But after a while, his cell buzzes again.

_I'll leave you to work that one out on your own ;)_

He smirks and his thumbs move to text back. But Toothless, who was previously snoozing under his desk, suddenly stirs and decides momentarily that he wants to bother his master; he bounds up to Hiccup and knocks his phone out of his hold so it becomes lost in the sea of clothes that have been forming on his bedroom floor during the last few weeks.

Hiccup curses and begins rifling through the pile in search of his cell, scolding Toothless in the process about interrupting him when he's in the middle of asking someone out. His distress does not last long; he eventually locates the cell under a pile of socks and finds a second message waiting for him.

_Hiccup? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tease. I was just kidding around. Please ask, I want you to ask xx_

_I'm sorry, my stupid dog distracted me. Pets, huh?_

_I have a rabbit. But he doesn't do much…_

_So, um…how about dinner? This Friday?_

_You mean it?_

_Sure. I can pick you up from…wherever you live._

_I look forward to it._

They spend the next few hours texting, whilst Jack gives him his address and various other details. They only stop when Hiccup's dad pushes open the door and informs him that it is past midnight and about time he turned his light off. Hiccup does so with reluctance but as soon as his father has left the room he opens his laptop and flicks on the webcam. Jack looks tired.

"You wanna sleep?" Hiccup murmurs, remembering to keep his voice down incase his dad is still lingering outside the door.

"No chance," Jack replies, though he's evidently exhausted, "Sleeping is boring."

Needless to say, neither of them get much sleep.


	3. Dating

Hiccup had dreaded their first date. But he finds it is less awkward than he expected.

He's completely at ease with Jack. He doesn't feel the need to pretend to be someone he isn't. Jack was relatively quiet when they first met but tonight, in the packed restaurant that was only affordable with the money provided by Hiccup's dad, he seems like a different person. He is wittier than Hiccup anticipated and at the same time has a fantastic sense of humour; but his winning smile is what captures Hiccup the most and he is so distracted that he barely gets anything eaten.

'So...uh...what're your interests?'

Jack rolls his eyes in thought, 'Well, I like snowboarding.'

_Unusual_, Hiccup thinks.

'Baseball's cool as well, I suppose. Though I'm a lame pitcher.'

Hiccup feels his heart sag a little. He hopes that sports won't be the only topic of their conversation this evening, seeing as he's useless at just about all of them. He can picture Jack as an athlete; he's so well shaped, it was as if it was planned from birth.

'Enough about me though,' Jack grins mischievously, 'What about you? What are _your_ interests?'

Hiccup finds that his tongue locks behind his teeth. What interests him the most? Gorgeous boys with eyes like ice doesn't seem like an appropriate answer.

'I like sketching...' He cringes slightly when he admits this but Jack looks subtly impressed, 'I mean...it's just a hobby but...I dunno, maybe I'll make something of it someday.'

'I look forward to seeing your work.'

It's going well so far. At least he's creating a good impression - something he's not very good at with most people. But Jack is so laid back it's almost criminal. He can see the chocolate coloured, slightly fluffy hair that stands in a weird shape, the cheeks dotted with freckles, the slightly lopsided smile. His overall appearance screams "Nerd," - and he doesn't care. Hiccup realises then; he just doesn't care.

He could listen to Jack talking all night. He just wants to sit there, listening to his voice. It turns out Jack is adopted - a subject that Hiccup doesn't press on to be respectful - and has a younger sister. Like Hiccup and Merida, he and Rapunzel (he calls her Punzie,) have been friends since they were kids. Hiccup reads quite a bit in contrast to Jack who finds reading a waste of brain cells. But their music tastes are relatively the same. Plus their ideas about dating; they both agree that personality wins over looks, though that leaves Hiccup feeling a little low on his self esteem.

Jack doesn't hesitate to ask what Hiccup's doing next weekend; he hasn't had this much fun in ages and he wants it to last. They agree to another date – the movies this time – and after Hiccup drops him home, Jack leans in and plants a chaste kiss on his cheek as a parting gift.

The next date goes even better.

Jack chooses the film, avoiding all possible romances and settles for a good old fashioned horror instead. It works; it's only ten minutes into the movie before Hiccup's hand has shot over and grasped his own, squeezing as if intent on breaking his bones. Jack feels a dash of pity but at the same time he loves the idea of Hiccup turning to him for comfort; that's why he can't help smiling in the darkness as a particularly gruesome scene flashes onto the screen and Hiccup leans over to hide his face in his shoulder.

They laugh about it afterwards and Jack's lips stay a bit longer on Hiccup's cheek.

Their third date is what finally breaks the ice.

Hiccup agrees to another movie but this time on his terms; he chooses a romance, just for a laugh, seeing as he can't seem to stomach the horror genre. It's not very far into the film before Jack's hand wanders over to find his again and they're soon entwined, locked in each other's hold. Hiccup notices Jack staring and turns to look into his eyes. The couple onscreen are sharing a kiss and it's so appropriate, _so_ appropriate. He wants the feel of Jack's lips more than anything and before he knows it, he's leaned in and claimed them. They're smooth, like petals on a rose and when Jack pulls away, he wants more. But Jack is a gentleman and manages to keep control of his hands.

This time, Jack is the one to drive Hiccup home. They sit in the front seats, still hot and excited from earlier on and when Hiccup opens the car door, he does not have the heart to step out onto the sidewalk just yet. They turn and look into each other's eyes again, a wave of desire passing between them, making their mouths curl up slightly.

And before they know it they are sharing a long kiss under the stars, their arms wrapped around each other, lost in each other's embrace.


	4. Hesitating

Merida texts him the morning that Jack is coming around, just as Hiccup is getting dressed.

_Date go well then? What did you get up to?_

_We kissed._

_About time! Mind you, you'll probably have to keep your hands away for a while now._

_What do you mean?_

_You have to be civilised in order to keep him interested. So keep your hands to yourself for a bit._

He worries after that; not touching Jack seems easier said than done. When he arrives, Hiccup allows him to peck him on the cheek but resists the urge to lean over and start kissing those tender lips again. The last thing he wants to do is put Jack off by making him think he's all about the action and no conversation.

He introduces Jack to his dad, which is pretty awkward. His dad is fully aware that he's out but that doesn't spare him from the embarrassment; Stoick immediately indulges Jack into the details of Hiccup's childhood - from his minor bedwetting problem to the time when he became obsessed with his cousin's plush dragon and insisted on carrying it about everywhere - until Hiccup is able to intervene and drag Jack upstairs to his bedroom. Toothless takes great interest in the stranger and cautiously pads over when Jack crouches to the floor and holds out a hand for him to sniff; he accepts it and starts licking at his fingers, leaving traces of slaver. Jack has passed the test.

They spend the next few hours mucking around on Hiccup's laptop, with Toothless' large body wedged in between them. It's a laugh at first but occasionally Hiccup notices Jack's eye falling upon him, wavering slightly. Every so often he feels a hand reach over the grasp his knee. But he remembers Merida's advice and brushes it off by quickly changing the subject and shifting positions.

Jack seems slightly disappointed when it's time to leave but when Hiccup suggests they meet up the following day, he brightens up and requests he spend the night at his own house.

* * *

Hiccup still feels a slight hint of sympathy to the fact that Jack is adopted. Not that being adopted is a bad thing; more to the fact that Jack knows nothing of his real parents or what happened to them, though he suspects they died at some point. He has a younger sister, Emma, who immediately asks Hiccup every detail of his life just to make certain he is suitable for her brother.

Jack eventually manages to drag him away and they end up in the bedroom; Jack's rabbit, Aster Bunnymund, cocks his head at Hiccup for a dire moment and then becomes bored and hops away again. He's like no rabbit Hiccup had ever seen; he is very large, perhaps the size of a small Toothless and seems to carry an annoyed expression on his face. If rabbits are capable of having expressions that is.

He's so entranced by the rabbit that he doesn't notice Jack's hands moving up to pull down the zip on his jacket and carefully tug it off. He only really notices when Jack's lips press against his neck, leaving a small wet mark. When he realises what's happening, he leaps six or seven paces away.

Jack stares at him. And suddenly his eyes are large and glassy.

And Hiccup wants to kick himself when he sees the amount of hurt in the other boy's eyes. Before Jack can turn away, he goes and takes his hands.

"I'm sorry…" his voice comes out wrong, as if he doesn't mean it. But he does, he does. He means it so badly.

"It's cool…" Jack finally finds the strength to look at him, his eyes stinging with unshed tears, "I know what's wrong…" He notices the other boy's confusion and sighs exasperatedly, "You want to break up, don't you?"

Hiccup's eyes fly open in shock, "No! No, Jack, that isn't the case at all! I just…I didn't want to ruin things by going too quickly, y'know? I thought if I rushed things then you would go off me and then…" he stares at Jack, running out of words, "Dammit!"

He takes Jack's face in his hands and captures their lips in a kiss that seems to last a life time.

After a moment of tension and surprise, they both realise what's actually happening and begin to relax. Hiccup can feel Jack's arms reaching up to clasp around his neck and he tilts sideways slightly, the sort of kiss you see in those black and white films. He wonders if this is the right way to go, all this hands on business. He's always been a doubtful soul and right now he's unsure of what to do. But Jack isn't complaining. So neither should he.

Jack guides him over to the bed and what happens next is amazing; Hiccup suddenly takes control and before he knows it, he's all over Jack's neck and jawbone, unable to resist the soft, pale skin that Jack has to offer. He suddenly realises how stupid he had been. He wonders how he managed to keep his hands off Jack as long as he did. He can't seem to control himself now and they wander everywhere, to every part of his body just to feel the softness.

Hiccup can't understand about what Merida meant about taking it slow. Once Jack gets started, he's off like a train. By the time night settles in, the spare bed set up for Hiccup is left forgotten.


	5. Apologizing

Hiccup wonders if it's too early to be getting jealous.

Then again, jealousy is something that graces him very rarely.

The coffee shop down the road has become their regular meeting place; the lighting in there doesn't give Hiccup a headache and Jack likes their mochaccinos. They go there every day after school just to hang out, talk and sometimes sneak a quick snog in the bathroom. It's a place where they can just be themselves and forget about how smothering the world is for two hours or so.

But coffee is the last thing on Hiccup's mind at this moment in time. All he can do is stir it repeatedly. He knows this will ruin the flavour, but again that's the last thing on his mind. He attempts to stare daggers at the male waiter who has taken an unwanted interest in Jack, but so far he must only be staring pin pricks because this dude really isn't getting the message. He keeps throwing cheeky glances at Jack, occasionally winking at him, analyzing his perfectly slim body from head to foot.

Hiccup can't blame him of course. Jack is a very attractive young man. No, what hurts most is the fact that Jack doesn't seem to _mind_ the attention. In fact, he actually responds to the flirting with a few timid smiles. That's what really gets to Hiccup.

He suddenly finds that he can't enjoy himself anymore. He just feels miserable. His self esteem is at rock bottom already, he doesn't need it pushed further down. He takes a minute to compare himself with this overly flirtatious waiter; this guy is quite well built, dark haired, good teeth, elegant posture. That versus a small, lanky boy with messy bangs, freckles and an awkward walking pattern. It doesn't take a genius to work out who is more attractive of the two.

He finishes his coffee in silence, occasionally mumbling small, uncertain responses to Jack's usual banter. He hates it that Jack doesn't seem to notice how much he's upset him. They've been together for almost a month now, surely he would have figured it out?

He decides not to mention it. Not when they go up to pay and he notices that the fine young waiter has slipped Jack a napkin containing his name and phone number. Not when Jack laughs and sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, something he always does when Hiccup does something cute and flattering for him. Not when they leave the shop and start heading back to Hiccup's house and he feels the harsh sting of tears approaching from behind each eye. He keeps his head down, not wanting to worry Jack by allowing him to see him cry.

But Jack notices everything.

"Hic?"

Jack's voice snaps him back to life. He tries to pull himself together and flashes him a painted smile, though his bottom lip trembles violently from the effort. Jack stares at him with an expression similar to horror and it's only then that he realises there are fresh drops of water rolling down both cheeks.

"Oh…" he watches as they drip off his chin and create two small spots on the sidewalk below, "…I'm sorry…"

Trust him to apologize for crying. He always apologizes for everything, even when it isn't his fault. But Jack reaches out and takes his face in his hands, gently using his thumbs to stroke away each tear.

"Hic, darling, what's wrong?"

What's wrong? Where does he begin? He doesn't know how to phrase it. He doesn't want to appear like the jealous type – you know, the sort of boyfriend who goes nuts if you so much as look at another guy. He doesn't want to be smothering. He just…

He needs to know…

"Jack…am I attractive?"

Jack looks baffled for a brief moment, taken by surprise at the sudden question. Then he laughs. Then he realises that Hiccup isn't joking and looks set to start crying himself.

"Hic! Of course you are! You're beautiful!" He pulls the smaller boy in for a hug, his cheek nestling against his soft, chocolate coloured hair, "What made you think that you-?"

He catches on, his mind rewinding back to the coffee shop. Yeah, that kid was cute but surely Hiccup didn't think…?

"Hic…" he pulls away a moment to look into the large, red rimmed eyes beneath him, "Is it because of that waiter? Did he upset you?"

Hiccup doesn't dare open his mouth to reply; he knows he's going to break. His face returns to the warm security of Jack's front and the quiet sobbing into his chest almost breaks Jack's heart. His fingers gently move up to tangle themselves in Hiccup's hair and he waits until the boy has pulled himself together before pulling away again and cupping his face once more.

"Hic, that in there…it meant nothing. I was just being polite. You know, playing along. I thought he might give us a discount on the cinnamon rolls if I did."

At this, Hiccup snorts with laughter that he didn't realise was there.

"I'm sorry…" Jack sighs, nuzzling his cheek against Hiccup's, "I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I'll never do it again, I swear."

"It's not your fault," Hiccup mumbles, "I was just being jealous, I won't-"

He is cut off, as Jack rests a delicate finger against his lips. They clamp closed immediately.

"You need to stop apologizing," he laughs lightly, "C'mon, let's get back to yours. I'll make it up to you." He finishes this sentence with a crafty wink.

"Sneaky bastard…" Hiccup mutters, a faint smirk on his face. But as they start walking again, he catches Jack's hand, "Jack?"

"Mm?"

The smaller boy reaches up and puts both arms around his neck, connecting their lips for a warm, gentle kiss.

"I love you."

Jack looks directly into his eyes, his crystal-blue iris' shining with something Hiccup can't quite describe. The smaller boy flushes, realising this is the first time he's dared to mutter those three sacred words.

"I…" he stammers like a fool and automatically comes up with, "Sorry…"

He's silenced with another kiss. A deep, meaningful kiss that seems to overwhelm all his senses and send his thoughts into a tizzy. Jack pauses mid kiss and Hiccup hears him mumble;

"Love you more."


	6. Comforting

Hiccup always knows when Jack's had a bad day. They have this sense about each other.

He has two free periods today, so he's off home straight after lunch; Jack has Algebra, which he loathes and Hiccup can only sympathise. As soon as he gets home, he settles on the couch and watches crap TV for a few hours; Toothless comes padding in from the yard and curls up beside him, resting his heavy head on his knee. His dad will be home at six. He has the whole house to himself.

He wonders if he can call Jack and have him come over. He's sure they'll be able to get up to a few things in his father's absence.

But Jack calls him first. His voice is low and soft, as if he's holding something back. Something that won't come out until he sees Hiccup.

"Hey Jack, what's up? You coming over?"

"Yeah, but I'll be a bit late."

Hiccup suppresses the growl arising in his throat, "Was it your algebra teacher again?"

He hears Jack snarl at the mention of his asshole of a teacher and then he barks out a laugh.

"The goddamn imbecile called me up to the front again. He knows I can't do it, he knows I suck at math. And he flips out at me when I can't get it right, calling me incompetent, useless. Can you _believe _that? Can you damn well believe that?"

"Jack…" Hiccup's voice, now smooth and low, is like a balm to his ears, "Come round to mine okay? My arms are waiting and I promise I'll take your mind off things."

He didn't comprehend for that sentence to come out so cheesy and dirty-sounding, but it seems to calm Jack's nerves all the same.

Hours later there's a knock at the door. Hiccup opens it and Jack walks in, soaked from the rain that decided to start halfway through his journey, making things a whole lot easier for him. As soon as Hiccup sees him, he shakes his head at his wet clothes and dripping hair plastered to his forehead.

"Sorry I'm late." Jack chokes, running a hand through his soaked scalp.

Hiccup smiles at him, 'Come here.'

He leads Jack to the couch, sits down and then brings the cold, trembling boy to his lap. Jack locks both arms around his neck and begins to cry intensely.

'I-I was so humiliated...' he sobs, nuzzling Hiccup's neck, smudging it with his tears, 'He told me I was never gonna get anywhere...right in front of everyone. He takes advantage of me all the time. I can't go a day at that class without being accused of messing something up and I'm sick and tired of it all. It's not fair, Hic, it's not _fair!_'

Hiccup rocks him gently all the way through this tearful rant, saying very little but occasionally mumbling, 'I know…I know…' at appropriate times. As Jack weeps he pulls him closer, wrapping his fingers in his locks of hair and gently kissing his forehead to soothe him.

'I've been trying, Hic, I really have.' Jack continues to sob, 'I've been trying so hard. But he doesn't appreciate it. He _hates_ me.'

'I know it's probably not much of a comfort,' Hiccup murmurs, 'But I appreciate everything about you.'

Jack blinks up at him in surprise and Hiccup leans down to kiss him, tugging Jack's waist towards him. Jack feels the soft brush of lips against his own and he begins to relax in the other boy's passionate grasp. Hiccup's mouth hovers near his ear and whispers.

'Dinner tonight? My treat?'


	7. Confessing

Hiccup can't help but smile as Jack bounces through each of the metal detector machines – he's enjoying himself, if the huge grin on his face is anything to go by. The two of them have been looking forward to this vacation for weeks; it's the first time their parents have allowed them to travel alone and it feels like one crazy adventure. Jack was looking forward to it so much that he packed two weeks in advance, despite having to remove his toothbrush every single morning and night.

Hiccup can't prevent that impish grin from crossing his face but it quickly fades when one of the detectors goes off, emitting a sharp beeping noise and causing other passengers to turn and give them wary glares. He isn't fazed, this sort of thing happens all the time. Most likely the machine picked up the metal in Jack's shoes or something. There are plenty of other people having it done. Just precautions. No big deal.

A member of security approaches Jack and gives him a reassuring smile.

"Arms out please, love." She says nicely enough.

Hiccup expects Jack to flash him a grin or a wink, something like that to make him feel jealous. He'll be bragging about this on the plane; about how that security guard was all over him, how she just couldn't keep her hands off him.

But Jack seems mildly alarmed when asked this question and nervously spreads his arms outwards so she can pat him down. Her hands are gentle, not threatening at all, but the look of distress on Jack's face is evident as he puts both arms behind his head to allow her to feel around his torso. There's a look in his eye that Hiccup's never seen before; uncertainty and terror, pure terror.

He doesn't make a sound until the precise moment that his crotch is frisked and Hiccup shrinks back as his scream seems to fill the entire airport, making several heads turn. The security guard backs off immediately, shooting Hiccup a panicked stare.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Jack, uttering a distressed cry, flees straight to Hiccup, gripping him tightly, making small whimpering noises while his boyfriend tries to calm him down.

"Ssh Jack, it's okay." He mumbles softly against his ear, 'She wont hurt you. What's up?'

Jack just sobs in reply, unable to speak properly. Hiccup throws the female security guard an apologetic look, feeling slightly embarrassed. He's never seen Jack behave like this and it worries him. It really freaking scares him.

Just as Hiccup suspected, it was the metal on Jack's shoes. It was a good fifteen minutes before Jack released his grip on Hiccup and allowed a member of security – this time a male – pat him down. He had wept all the way through it, but he didn't scream. He seemed unable to utter so much as a squeak.

He's silent all through the plane journey, occasionally mumbling in response to Hiccup's attempts to make conversation and when night draws in, he puts his head on Hiccup's lap and keeps it there the whole night. Hiccup doesn't question him – he doubts Jack will respond anyway – and simply strokes the snow-white hair until he falls asleep himself.

* * *

"Jack…you awake?"

"No."

Hiccup snorts with laughter. Part of him wishes he and Jack could sleep in the same bed but their parents had insisted they get two separate ones to prevent any naughty business during the night.

Jack had perked up a little when they arrived at the hotel; he bounced on the beds for a bit, 'tested' the elevator several times and that afternoon he and Hiccup had visited the beach which was only down the road. By the second day he seemed almost back to his old self; he was laughing a lot more, his appetite had made a dramatic return and Hiccup had received the most alluring back massage in the evening.

But he can always tell when something is bothering Jack. He can see that little uncertain glint in his eye whenever his hands waver close to his crotch during their little kissing sessions. At first he tried to ignore it. But soon his concerns get the better of him.

"Jack…" Hiccup whispers in the darkness, "I think we should talk about what happened."

Silence. And then Jack sighs.

"I thought you might bring it up eventually."

"What happened at the airport-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Hiccup sits up, though he can't see Jack in the pitch black room, "Jack, you completely freaked out. I was _scared_; I had no idea what was going on with you. You were really spooked Jack. And I think I…' He trails off, feeling like he's intruding but at the same time he just needs to find out, 'I think I deserve to know…'

Silence again. He hears Jack shift slightly in the bed opposite and then a small voice murmurs.

'Can I come sleep with you?'

Hiccup knows they're breaking every rule in their parent's book but the tremble in Jack's voice forces that thought out of his mind. He allows Jack to slide under the covers next to him and the white-haired boy nuzzles his head underneath his chin, face pressed into his neck. Silence falls over them for a while and Hiccup comes to the conclusion that he should stop pushing; Jack isn't ready to share and he should respect that, despite how curious he is.

But then Jack starts talking, "Before I was adopted, I lived in a foster home."

At this, he goes quiet and seems unsure of whether to continue, "I was brought up by a couple from out of town; they were lovely to me, never yelled at me, never spanked me. They were like a proper mom and dad."

Hiccup wonders where he's going with this.

"But…when I was about seven or eight…my mom…"

He inhales sharply and Hiccup feels him tense up against him.

"She came into my bedroom one night and…she…"

Hiccup looks down at the boy beneath him and though they can't see each other in the darkness, he knows Jack's eyes are full of tears.

"What did she do to you Jack?"

He hears Jack sniff loudly and feels his neck become wet as it's soaked with a few of the boy's tears.

"She touched me…" He gasps when he says it, "she…she told me I was her special little boy…'

Hiccup feels himself retch the at the thought of someone doing something so vile and disgusting to a child and hugs the withering body closer to him, "Oh Jack…"

"I thought it was just a normal thing, you know?" he goes on, "I mean, it never hurt or anything. I just…" he trails off, "…I didn't know what to think."

"Did you ever tell your father?"

"Yes, but not for a while. She started doing it nearly every night. It was a good two years before I actually told him about it. I asked why he didn't do it to me as well…" at this, he snorts slightly with laughter, but it quickly fades into something more of a sob, "He just stared at me…and then…that was it. I was taken to a children's home and put up for adoption."

"What happened to your foster mom?"

"My foster father reported her. She's in jail."

"Good…" Hiccup says quietly, wanting to rip her eyes out for doing such a horrific thing to _his_ Jack.

"My foster father loved me. I miss him sometimes. She betrayed him as much as she did me."

Hiccup wets his lips; a question has been swimming in his mind for a while now and he can't keep it sealed behind his lips for any longer.

"Jack…did she rape you?"

He feels Jack's head whip up, "What? No, no, she never…" but then he trails off, "…but sometimes I think about it and I wonder…if I hadn't of said anything…maybe she would have…"

He stops, because he can't go on anymore and spends the next few minutes crying, while Hiccup holds him and soothes him until he is brave enough to calm down.

"I love you Jack…" He mutters, holding the boy with an unbreakable grip, "I love you and I'll never allow anyone to hurt you again."

He feels Jack laughing, "I'm supposed to be the one who protects _you_."

Hiccup decides to damn his father's rules about the sleeping arrangements that night and Jack remains in his arms all night; he knows there's little he can do to heal the pain of Jack's suffering but perhaps he can help him come to terms with it.

One step at a time.


	8. Dwelling

'Does he ever stop moving?'

Hiccup looks up from cuddling Bunnymund and casts a glance over to the large, black dog who is currently running a lap around the wide open space of the field they are sat in. They chose a spot in the shade, on a small hill overlooked by a group of trees which leaned over, protecting them from the summer sun's rays. No one ever goes there so it's nice and quiet. _Their_ spot.

'Nope.' Is his response to Jack's question.

Toothless never seems to run out of energy. He has a planned routine; sprint around the field for a good twenty minutes, return to the shade for a little while until he gets his breath back and then he'd notice some sort of unfortunate furry animal running past and repeat the process again. Hiccup occasionally moves his gaze between both he and the silent creature in his arms and wonders if a rabbit may have been the better way to go. His life would be a lot quieter, he knew that. Then again, he wouldn't swap Toothless for the world. No matter how many times the stupid mutt tripped him up with his leash or slapped him in the face with that damned tail of his, at the end of the day he was the loyalest friend he had and he loved him to pieces. Even if he did chase everything that moved and left the room a life sized aquarium after every bathtime.

'Who's a pretty bunny?' he lifts the rabbit over his head slightly, so he's looking up at him, making silly little cooing noises you'd make at a baby, 'Yeah, _you_ are Mister E. Aster Bunnymund.'

The rabbit gives him a blank stare, nose twitching elegantly from side to side. Hiccup brings him back down to rest against his front and Bunnymund's large ears flop right back behind his head in contentment, a rare sight. He's a unique rabbit; his fur is grey but has slight hints of blue in it – a very faint sort of diamond blue colour that blends well with his white fluffy chest. He isn't squat and fat like most bunnies; his body is long and sleek, more like a hare really. His back legs are arched slightly, balanced by his large, flat feet and his fur is layered, smooth and rough when you drag your fingers across it.

'What breed is he?' Hiccup asks out of the blue.

Jack looks fairly perplexed for a moment, his eyes narrowed slightly as he fingers the doughnut he has in his hold. Up until Hiccup asked this question, he had been trying to figure out whether it had jam in it or not, 'What breed? Uh…I'm not entirely sure.'

'What did the people at the pet shop say?'

'We didn't get him from a pet shop,' he laughs at Hiccup's confused expression, 'You really think a pet shop would have a rabbit that big? No, I found him when I was walking home from school. Dunno where he came from or anything, just that he was alone and he'd twisted one of his back legs. So I took him home and…we were gonna call one of those Wildlife Rescue things but…I dunno, I grew really attached to the little guy. My dad is a veterinarian so he managed to fix his leg a treat and next thing I knew, he was there to stay.'

'Your parents must be very understanding people, letting you keep wild rabbit.'

'He's hardly wild,' Jack reaches over and flicks one of those large ears, smirking as it twitches and the rabbit gives him an annoyed glance, 'All he does is eat anyway. And sleep.'

'I wish Toothless would sleep once in a while,' grumbles Hiccup, 'he's nocturnal, I'm telling you. He bounces around all day and spends most of the night sitting awake next to me while I'm trying to get to sleep. And if I get annoyed and shut him in the kitchen he just barks all night.'

'He sits up all night watching you?'

'He gets protective,' says Hiccup, 'Dad got him for me after Mom died and…it sounds dumb but I think he stays up because he wants to watch over me and keep me safe.'

'Bless his heart.'

Hiccup leans his head down and softly kisses the rabbit's little pink nose so it twitches again; it's soft and has a velvet texture, his whiskers tickling the base of Hiccup's chin. Toothless comes bounding into view again and to Hiccup's surprise, seems to be out of energy. He walks a few paces and when flops all his body weight onto Jack's lap, tail curling around the end of the picnic rug the boys are sat on.

'Hey Tooth,' Jack rubs between his ears, getting his fingers lost in the rich, black layers of fur, 'How you doing buddy? Run out of steam already?'

Toothless props himself up tiredly and begins licking Jack's face, enjoying being the centre of attention despite his sudden exhaustion.

'What breed?' Jack asks, suppressing his giggles as the dog's tongue lolls around the sensitive area on his jaw, tickling his skin, 'German Shepherd?'

'Belgian.'

Toothless stops licking eventually and puts his head on Jack's lap again; his low, hollow growls soon become softer as Jack runs a hand across his head in a repeated cycle and after a while Hiccup hears a quiet, but unmistakeable snore.

'You're magic Jack.' He grins, 'He's asleep! He's _actually_ asleep!'

Jack carefully moves the dog's head so it's slumped against the blanket and then scoots over to Hiccup who has set Bunnymund on the floor to let him have a hop around.

'He won't go far,' He assures the chocolate haired boy, who glances at the rabbit and then the open space rather worriedly, 'He doesn't like to go too far.'

Hiccup sighs and rests his head against the taller boy's shoulder, as the sky changes and an orange glow appears as the sun sets, 'I wish all days were like this.'

'Me too.'

'Just quiet and peaceful without having to worry about anything.'

Jack glances down at the snoozing dog, 'With _that_ hunk of energy around?'

'Okay, maybe get rid of Toothless.' Hiccup smiles faintly and cuddles up more, 'My dad'll be wondering where I am.'

Jack looks at him and his eyes are sad for a moment. Once school starts again, they'll be seeing each other even less and he wants to savour every moment. He kisses the boy's forehead and holds him close, rubbing his cheeks against that soft hair.

'Hic?'

'Mm?'

'When we go back to school…promise not to forget me?'

Hiccup looks up at him with shock, cupping his face, 'How could I…?' he cuts off and presses their foreheads together, 'I could never even _contemplate_ forgetting you, Jack Frost. You're so damn unforgettable.' His eyes suddenly fill with water and his lip curls in, 'Why do we have to go to separate schools, Jack? It's so unfair…'

'Hey, hey, hey…' Jack says softly when he sees the boy's tears, 'Don't, Hic. C'mon now…' he pulls him closer, 'It'll be fine, darling, don't get upset.'

He waits until Hiccup is no longer tense in his hold and then looks into his eyes, which are still slightly wet.

'We'll see each other again, I'll make sure of it. Somehow we'll see each other.'

He feels a twinge of pain as Hiccup's face crumples and reaches out to fetch one of the doughnuts he brought with him. He waves it near the boy's mouth, 'C'mon. Something to sweeten you up.'

Hiccup gazes at the confectionary wearily but slowly opens his mouth, sinking his teeth into the sugary pastry and taking a small bite. It's true, it does sweeten him up and he's in a better mood already. Jack beams as this act of generosity earns a smile from the other boy's lips.

'That's my Hic.'


	9. Protecting

They make the tragic mistake of taking the shortcut.

The movie had been lame, as they expected. Still, what could you expect? After all, it was _Emma_ who had chosen it, seeing as Jack had got stuck babysitting. A whole hour and a half sitting through a grueling picture of pink fairies and talking cats. Jack would never live it down.

But they've dropped Emma home now and it's only the two of them, making their way back to Hiccup's where Jack will spend the night. They always walk out of sync, hands curled together, Jack walking in long strides with Hiccup's shorter legs scurrying to catch up.

"C'mon Short Stack, your dad said we had to be back by seven," Jack grins as Hiccup playfully smacks his arm for poking fun at his height, "I don't know about you, but I'm never taking my sister to a movie again."

"Hey, it was fun," Hiccup beams, leaning up to kiss the taller boy's cheek, "and besides, we managed to sneak a quick snog at the end, didn't we?"

"Yeah, I think those kindergarteners were a little shocked by that…"

They reach the end of Jack's street and are left with two options; cut across the main road or take the shortcut through the public houses. Jack knows it's risky; the public houses are home to all the rough kids, the ones from broken families. He's had run ins from gangs before and now he's cautious whenever he wanders near that place.

But it's broad daylight and they need to be home soon otherwise Hiccup's dad will have his blood for dishwater.

He takes the risk.

"This way is faster," he says with a catch in his voice, as if he's not certain about what he's saying.

Hiccup senses the caution in his voice but decides to ignore it; Jack always knows what he's doing.

They walk through the narrow alleyway where the trees are overgrown, past all the shabby houses with the paint strewn carelessly across the bricks and half the windows boarded up. Jack notices Hiccup's expression change slightly, a wave of shock and slight fear swimming into those large green eyes. Jack breaks the tension by lifting the smaller boy onto a nearby wall and holding his hand as Hiccup giggles and attempts to keep his balance. When he reaches the end of the wall, he puts both hands on Jack's shoulders and is gently lifted down.

"You should join the circus," the snow-haired boy smirks.

The sides of Hiccup's mouth almost touch his ears as he grins and brings their lips together into a gentle kiss. It's a passionate moment that distracts them both and Jack's attention is only diverted when he hears the turning of wheels.

"Hey Frost!"

He jumps away from Hiccup, bottom lip sticking out into a tremble as they are approached by several tall, lean creatures on bikes, circling them once and then pressing on the brakes to come to a halt and tower over them. There's one that seems to stick out, to Hiccup at least; the tallest and thinnest one, a pale boy with a head of dark hair. The one that Jack is staring at without blinking.

"Jackson…" those thin, colourless lips curl into something that resembles a smile, but isn't quite one, "It's been a while."

The first impression Hiccup gets of this boy is that he's trouble; he dresses all in leather, with a few chains hanging off his jean pockets which jangle when he moves. He has a tiny ring through his lip. To add to his intimidating demeanor, he speaks with a thick British accent.

Hiccup is right to be scared.

"Hello Pitch…" Jack says limply, side-stepping so he is standing directly in front of Hiccup, putting an arm behind his back to squeeze the other boy's hand in reassurance.

"The boys and I have been missing you." He nods to the various figures around him, who smirk and bring their hoods down further over their eyes, "You just…_disappeared _after we split."

Dark eyes study the shorter boy from head to toe and he reaches out his long, slim fingers to take Jack's chin in his hold, tilting his head upwards so he can look into those nervous eyes.

"What happened to us, Jack?" He runs a tongue over his bottom lip, and moves a finger to touch the side of the child's mouth; a gentle gesture masking the menacing intentions beneath, "We were so good…"

Jack peers at him, beginning to feel sick, "You know why…"

Pitch notices Hiccup, who is peering at him over Jack's shoulder timidly and moves his hand away; he turns his body to the shorter boy and his arm reaches out again, this time using his fingers to cup underneath Hiccup's chin and then sticking out his thumb to gently press the tip on his bottom lip.

"Well, well, well…" he murmurs quietly, his voice low and husk, "…who's this little shrinking violet then?"

"Don't touch him," Jack growls, coming in between them but Pitch isn't focusing on him anymore; he remains staring at Hiccup, gently touching the soft, freckled skin.

"Now where in the world did Jackson Overland Frost find a little cutie like you?"

Hiccup flushes at this compliment – if it _is_ a compliment – and he tries to smile politely, though his knocking knees make it a task.

Jack snarls like a Rottweiler, "Give over! You're scaring him!"

He wedges in between them protectively, nose to nose with the ghost-like boy, hand reaching behind him to grip Hiccup's again. Pitch is unfazed, his expression blank.

"I'm impressed, Jackson." He says in an infuriatingly vague tone, "This one seems like a keeper. Though I doubt he knows how…_stubborn_ you can be." He leans sideways slightly to talk to Hiccup, "the trick is to hold him down until he stops kicking."

At this, the others cackle with laughter, a hyena like sound that makes Jack's stomach wrench. Hiccup glances at him questioningly but is still too baffled to speak.

"Shut up…" Jack tries to sound angry but it comes out as a childish plea, "…please, just…"

"Now, now, Jackson." And Pitch's hand whips out and catches Jack's arm, locking it in an iron grip, "Be a good boy and do as you're told."

Hiccup waits for Jack to tear his arm away, tell Pitch where to stick it, maybe even shove him in the chest. But all of a sudden time has frozen and the snow-haired boy stands in shock, eyes suddenly too big for his face, his skin beginning to crawl. Pitch's nails dig harshly into his flesh, leaving small marks. And it's strange. As if he's cast some sort of spell over the boy and now he is unable to move, trapped in their own private world, full of the untold stories Jack has yet to tell Hiccup. That touch tells Hiccup what their relationship had been; twisted, painful, controlling…

Pitch releases Jack and he looks ready to slump to the floor. Hiccup grips his arm, trying to snap him out of it but he's miles away, stuck in his past. He doesn't even notice that Pitch has punctured the skin, leaving it raw and bloody.

The dark haired boy raises his eyebrows, "I always did hold you too hard. My mistake."

"Please, just leave us alone," Jack hisses in pain, clutching his bleeding arm, unable to look the boy in the eye anymore.

After a long while of staring, Pitch makes a move to walk on, but at the last minute changes his mind and captures Jack's chin in his hand again.

"Whatever happened to the bland, spineless boy I fell in love with?"

Jack jerks away, earning a chuckle from Pitch's cronies. They depart at long last but the willowy figure leaves Jack feeling cold and scared and unable to control his shaking. Hiccup goes and curls his arms around the boy's neck to console him but it seems to have no effect.

They need to talk when they get back to Hiccup's. They both know that.

* * *

"How long ago did you split up?"

"About two years ago. I was fourteen."

Hiccup touches the boy's face; they're both lying on his bed, opposite one another and close, oh so close. Hiccup's dad gave him a band aid for his bleeding arm (he used the old excuse that he had fallen into a bramble bush,) and now they're talking about Pitch – and the amount of misery he had put Jack through while they were an item.

"Did he beat you?"

"Sometimes. Well, I didn't count it as beating. He would slap me a lot."

"That's terrible!"

"It wasn't all bad Hic, it really wasn't. There were times when he could be really loving-"

"That still doesn't excuse what he did you!"

Jack sighs, leaning back on the pillow, "He was arrested you know. Because he bashed my head against the wall and left a gash on my forehead," he lifts his fringe, revealing a long, faint scar trailing from his head and down his temple, "My dad walked in and almost broke his neck."

"What did the cops do?"

"He was released because their wasn't enough sufficient evidence to try him."

"Why didn't you testify?"

At this, Jack looks close to tears, shaking his head, "You just _don't_, Hiccup. Everyone wonders why you don't just walk away – well, it's not that easy. You feel…_bound_ to that person. Like anywhere you go, they'll come after you. However far you run, they'll be running after you faster. You tell yourself it's your own fault and that they'll change if you change. You just don't leave. And sometimes, when you do try to leave, it's too late."

Hiccup looks into his eyes, at the watery depths that are beginning to fill with tears, "You put up with so much crap in your life Jack."

The snow-haired boy considers this, "Yeah…but I have you now, Hic. My little knight in shining armor, eh?"

"Just cut out the little part," Hiccup smirks, but then he cups Jack's face, "If he ever tries to touch you again, I'll aim for his teeth and nose Jack."

"I thought you opposed to violence."

"Not when someone I love is being threatened. So Pitch better know how to box because I can swing a mean punch."

"Your head barely even reaches his chest!"

Hiccup lunges on Jack, his fingers moving to tickle him, "Enough with the short jokes, already!"


	10. Surprising

Hiccup feels miserable when he goes back to school.

Jack's promised to text him every morning when they both get up and then every afternoon when they get home. But it isn't enough. He'd do anything – anything to have Jack here with him now. Sitting across from him in class, opposite him at lunch, anything.

At least he has Merida. She helps ease the pain slightly by distracting him with her witty banter. As soon as lunch starts and they're alone in the school grounds, she starts talking about her three troublesome younger brothers and how they're driving her mother up the wall. He laughs tactfully throughout the conversation – but as soon as he falls under the eye of Snotlout and his gang, he shrinks.

"What you laughing at, faggot?"

Hiccup feels his muscles tense; they're further away from the school than he thought, out of the teacher's eye view. No one would hear them if they called for help. He trembles in the presence of the larger boy and his posse behind him, though he does his best to mask it.

Merida isn't like him; she won't stand for anyone looking down on her. She marches right up to Snotlout, so furious that he actually takes a step backwards in fear of her temper.

"What's it to you, fatty?"

He glowers at her, expression darkening but his cheeks have turned red, which lets her know that her words have an effect on him. He refuses to be swindled by a girl.

'Mind your own business, Red Head,' he mutters, pushing past her, 'So, I hear you're hanging around with Jack Frost? Am I right?'

Hiccup stares at him, "How…how do you know Jack?"

"Duh," says Ruffnut, "Everyone knows Jack Frost." She simpers a little, "I wish I knew him better at least…"

"He's like, the most popular kid in Burgess High," says her brother, Tuffnut.

"If that's so," Astrid Hofferson steps out from the back, making Hiccup groan internally, "Then why is he hanging out with a loser like Frigid over here?"

The others crack up and Hiccup fights to keep his eyes from swimming with tears. He and Astrid had lasted only three weeks before he broke it off, tired of living a lie and pretending to be someone he wasn't. Astrid isn't like other girls. She doesn't hide herself away and cry after a break-up; she's tough, independent and that's what makes her popular. But to keep his sexuality under wraps, Hiccup had decided to take a dive into deep water and ask her out. It turned out the only reason she agreed to date him was because her friends made a bet with her; go out with a geek, go all the way and then dump him the day after.

Hiccup certainly hadn't 'gone all the way,' – in fact he would scream and cover his eyes if Astrid so much as touched him. She had been livid when he dumped her, though she told her friends things had gone differently. She labelled him as 'frigid' and soon that was his new nickname.

He listens to them laughing and stares at his shoes, deciding to just put up with it until they grow bored and wander off to pester someone else. But Merida isn't having any of it. She strides coolly towards Astrid, who is laughing too hard to notice and digs her heels into the ground, rolling her sleeves to her elbows; Hiccup knows what this means and takes a wise step backwards.

The redhead's voice comes out in a threatening growl, her hot Scottish blood banging in her ears, spurring on the temper she inherited from her mother, "Say that again."

Astrid pauses in laughing, looking her up and down as if she's a stray cat. She takes a step forward also, so they're nose to nose, the furious blue eyes meeting the laid back ones opposite.

"You deaf or something, Red Head?" Her eyes swivel back to Hiccup, who gives her a warning glance but she ignores it, smirking, "Fri-"

She never gets to finish her sentence; Merida keels back the moment she starts talking and in a matter of seconds her fist comes in contact with Astrid's jaw so her whole head jerks sideways, sending her staggering four or five paces back. The others stop laughing, their expression contorting into something of utter shock and disbelief. Hiccup clutches his schoolbag to him, fingers digging into the material. Astrid remains frozen in the same position for a while, hand clutching her mouth and no one is sure what to do; whether to approach her, or go and get help. Or just something.

They decide to wait. Until she curses. Or starts to cry. Or maye even starts to laugh. But she does nothing. She stays there, just holding her mouth and Hiccup sees the first signs of blood dripping from underneath her fingers, disappearing into the dirt below.

Finally, she turns but instead of lunging forward and caving Merida's head in, she examines her bloody lip and nods.

"That was a good one."

Merida cracks her knuckles, daring anyone else to have a go, but they all shuffle back slightly, suddenly frightened of her. She waits a moment or two, incase Astrid wants to start a fight (which she'll be happy to win,) but the other girl seems to have accepted that she's met her match. She won't be bothering them again any time soon.

Merida takes Hiccup's hand, glancing over her shoulder just incase she is suddenly attacked from behind, but the others have moved on by now, with Astrid refusing to allow anyone to assist her in stopping the flow of blood coming from her mouth. She's too stubborn for her own good, Merida knows but she doesn't let it worry her.

She takes Hiccup back to the school building and when inside, they share a long hug in the corridor, Merida gently rubbing Hiccup's back.

"Meri, you shouldn't have done that…" he says, as she leans over and kisses his forehead, "You'll get in trouble-"

"So what? I wasn't going to stand by and let some toffee-nosed bitch talk down to my best friend!"

Hiccup smirks at the 'toffee-nosed bitch' part, "I love you Meri."

"Love you too, pal.'

He gives her a soft kiss on the cheek – and then someone behind them laughs.

"Really Hiccup? Cheating on me already?"

Hiccup turns, slowly melting out of Merida's hold as he locks eyes with an all too familiar face.

"…Jack?"


	11. Telling

Hiccup takes a moment or two to drink in the sight – and then he's in Jack's arms, his hands tightening around the boy's neck as he's gently lifted off the ground. He wraps both legs around Jack's waist and holds on as if his life depends on it. They stay like that for a moment or two, just holding each other, Jack shifting every now and again to support Hiccup's body weight in his arms. And finally, Hiccup speaks.

"I'm sorry, am I heavy?"

Jack snorts into his shoulder, "Well, I was about to ask when the last time you weighed yourself was."

He smirks as Hiccup playfully smacks him and then rests the smaller boy back onto the floor. They press their foreheads together, just staring into each other's eyes as Hiccup's knees tremble slightly in anticipation.

"Jack…" he finally manages to breathe, "You're here…but how?"

Jack rubs the back of his head, "It's a long story."

Hiccup glances at his watch, "We have twenty minutes till lunch ends. Go."

* * *

Summer ends in three weeks. Jack sighs and flops back on his bed, reaching for his phone to see if he has any new texts.

_Hope you're having a great summer! Xx_ – from his Aunt Ana (well, she wasn't really his aunt but she was as good as.)

_Hey, fancy seeing a movie next week? I'll buy the popcorn ;) x_ – From Punzie

And_ Morning Beautiful xxx_ – From Hiccup

He smiles and is about to text back when he recieves another message. One he wishes he never received.

_Just wondering how you are, baby. Miss you x_ – **PB**

He deletes the message as quickly as possible and clutches his phone so hard he fears it will break. He doesn't know how Pitch got his cell number but then again, he's not surprised; Pitch is capable of anything. He sighs, resting his head against his pillow. Things will get even harder when school starts. Pitch is in the year above him and he knows he'll give him grief; corner him in the corridors, by the lockers and even follow him home just to see him tremble in his presence. He loves the thrill of knowing Jack Frost is afraid of him. He feeds off it.

He can't go back to Burgess High. He just can't.

He hears his dad calling from downstairs and carelessly drags himself out of bed, suddenly not in the mood for the day to come.

Jack has the sort of adoptive parents that some kids would kill for; they can sometimes overreact about certain things and nag him about school and sitting up properly at the table like most parents do. But they love their children and they tell he and his sister that everyday. When Jack had come out to them, his father had merely nodded and his mother asked him what he wanted for dinner. They said that any parent who rejected their child for their sexuality should never have been parents in the first place. He's grateful to have them as parents, grateful that he has them in his life, biological or not. He doesn't know what he would do without them.

His father, James, is on the couch with his paper as usual. His mother, Clarice, is knitting in the corner and Emma is outside in the yard with Bunnymund, playing.

"Honestly Jack," James says when he sees him, "It's a beautiful day, why are you cooped up in your room?"

Jack shrugs, "I can't think of anything to do."

"Why don't you play with your sister?"

"She has Bunnymund."

His mother looks up from her knitting, "Well then, why don't you call Hiccup? You can take his dog for a walk."

"That dog," James rolls his eyes, "You'd think it was on something! Nearly frightened your grandmother to death last time it came whizzing in here!"

"Speaking of which, you better get some proper clothes on Jack," Clarice looks at Jack's hoodie with raised eyebrows, "We're going round to Grandma and Grandpa's for lunch."

Jack glances at the floor, scuffing his heel against the rug, "They don't even like me…"

At this, James looks apalled, "Jack! Of course they do!"

"I'm not even their grandkid. _Emma's_ their grandkid. It's her they're mad about, not me."

"That's not true Jack," says Clarice, setting down her knitting, "Why would you think that?"

He doesn't know what to say so he shrugs again, eyes beginning to grow moist.

"Jack, are you worried about something?" James asks.

"Sort of…"

"Is it school?"

Jack bows his head and doesn't respond.

"Jack…" James lowers his paper, setting it to the side, "Come here."

Jack obeys and walks over; James stands, a head higher than the boy and removes his glasses to look at him.

"Jack, is it that Pitch boy again?"

Jack begins to sob; loud, wailing noises that he can't control and he plunges his face into his father's front. James sits again, pulling the weeping teen onto his lap so he can hold him and allow him to pull himself together. When Jack is past the stage of crying and his sobs become small snivels, James allows his temper to flare.

"That's it. I'm calling the cops."

Jack's eyes widen in fright and he tears away to stare into his father's eyes, "Dad, you can't-!"

"I can and I_ am_," he sets Jack aside and heads to the phone in the corner, "There's no way some sick pervert is going to terrorise my boy and get away with it!"

"Honey," Clarice goes to Jack, who has risen, trying to stop his father, "We need to get this sorted out. You can't allow him to go on hurting you like this."

"He'll hurt me even more if you report him!" Jack cries, "Dad, there's no way he'll go to prison, he's…he's too smart for that!"

"It's worth a damn good try!" James seizes the phone and begins dialling 911.

"Daddy…" Jack only ever addresses his father like this when he's desperate, "Daddy, please, he'll find me! He'll get me! Daddy, _please_ don't…" He trails off and begins sobbing again, sinking to the floor.

Seeing his distress, James glances at the phone, sighs and then rests it back on the reciever; he goes and takes Jack in his arms again, trying to calm him down before he has some sort of anxiety attack.

"Ssh, it's alright Jack. Calm down now, ssh…' he rocks him back and forth like an infant until his crying dies down and he's breathing calmly again; Clarice watches, tears beginning to fill her eyes also.

"I just want him to leave me alone," Jack sniffs, "why won't he leave me alone?"

"I won't have you anywhere near that boy," James says, his aggressive tone returning, "First thing in the morning I'm calling your school and withdrawing your place there."

Clarice stares at him, "James! Where will Jack go?"

"I don't know; we'll bloody home school him if we have to! But I want him out of there as soon as possible."

Jack could explode with joy; he throws his arms around his father's neck and almost starts to cry again. But then a thought strikes him and he draws back.

"But Dad…what about Punzie?"

James sighs, "She's a lovely girl, Jack. But you have to think about yourself right now. We'll find you a good school – and find a way to keep you in contact with Punzie. I promise you."

Jack's smile returned, bigger than ever and he put his arms around his father's neck again, "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, son. So much."

* * *

Hiccup stares at him, eyes moist himself.

"That bastard, Pitch…" he mutters, "That low-life _bastard_. Jack, why didn't he tell me he sent you that text?"

Jack shrugs, "Didn't want you to worry." He suddenly grins, "God, Hic, you should have seen my face when I found out I had gotten into Berk Academy. Just the thought of seeing you again…"

Hiccup bites his lip – now's not the time for crying – and leans in to give Jack a well deserved kiss. He notices that Merida hasn't said anything; she's fanning her hands near her eyes, her breaths coming out shuddery and…

"Meri…" he asks daringly, "Are you crying?"

She stares at him, quickly flicking the water away, "What? No, no, of course not. I just…had something in my eye…of course…"

"Of course." Jack reaches out a hand, "Nice to see you again Merida."

Merida stares at his hand as if he's nuts, "No need for formalities here," and she grips Jack in a solid, bone-breaking hug, making the boy grunt slightly.

"You sure are something," he squeaks and when he's free and can breathe again, he ruffles her curls, "Hiccup didn't tell me you were such a cutie."

Hiccup gives him a poke, "I told you plenty of times."

Jack smirks and captures the boy's lips in a kiss, wanting to savour this moment before the warning bell rings and the corridors are swarming with students.

"Honestly you two," Merida shakes her head at them both, "Like bloody Romeo and Juliet you are. Does that mean we'll be a threesome now?"

She laughs at the look of horror that crosses Hiccup's face.


	12. Feeling

Jack is what many would call a 'heart throb' in Berk Academy.

Only a week at the school and already he's one of the most popular boys in his year. He's the class hottie who gets all the girls screaming. He plays baseball like a pro; his pitching is a little rough but no one picks up on that because he's so incredibly awesome in every other way. All the boys want his hair (and his face.) All the girl's want his attention. He's the sort of person who is so annoyingly good at everything you don't know whether to love him or want to use his guts for garters.

Snotlout and his gang had gone to great lengths to become Jack's friend on his first day at school; Jack is well shaped, slim, wears hoodies and puts tacs on the teacher's chair – he's practically a magnet drawing them in. Hiccup had looked on with great displeasure as Astrid did her best to gain the spotlight; she nudged an adoring Ruffnut out of the way and got talking to the snow-haired boy, standing a little too close for Hiccup's liking. But Jack, knowing exactly how much shit she had put Hiccup through, would eventually excuse himself and then go and join his boyfriend in the corner, while the others looked on in envy.

Sometimes it bothers Hiccup – not the fact that Jack is appreciated and he isn't, he's used to that – but the idea of no one ever knowing that he and Jack are together. He doesn't want Jack's reputation to be ruined; he knows what it's like being at the bottom of the pile and he doesn't want to drag Jack down with him. So he keeps quiet and in the shadows, like he always does, just to please everybody else.


	13. Worrying

It's the Berk Academy soccer tournament this evening and Hiccup has front row seats; his dad never misses an oppurtunity for some live sports and he immediately takes to yelling at the rival team while his son wallows in embarrassment. Jack's an excellent soccer player – mind you, he has the right build for it – and streaks across the pitch like a cat, never even slipping up once.

Hiccup is none surprised when he wins them the game and he sits there, grinning as his boyfriend is lifted onto Snotlout's broad shoulders and his team begin chanting his name. His smile only falters, however, when Astrid comes running from the stand in her cheerleader's costume (she's the head,) and throws her arms around Jack's neck as soon as he's set on the ground again.

Hiccup wonders if it's just the joy from winning the game. Or whether it's something else, when Jack responds to her hug and lifts her off the ground, spinning her around slightly before resting her back down again. He's never seen Astrid like this around a boy. He watches her face, the way she holds onto Jack and stares into his eyes and realises that she wants him. She wants him badly. And the way he stares back…

He tells his dad he wants to leave. Stoick looks mildly surprised but he takes him to the car anyway; Hiccup is silent on the way home and as soon as he's in, he goes straight up to his bedroom and has a private cry while Toothless watches from under his desk, head cocked slightly in sympathy. He only stops crying when his cell buzzes. Jack's name flashes on the screen and he pulls himself together in time to answer his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey beautiful, I didn't see you after the game. Where did you go?"

"I uh…I felt sick so my dad took me home. You know what he's like…"

"Your voice does sound kinda weird. You okay now?"

"Yeah…"

"Hic," he can tell Jack is sensing his dishonesty, "Is something bothering you? And don't lie to me because you know very well I can read your mind."

Hiccup snorts with laughter, but then his bottom lip quivers, "It's nothing, I…I just saw you with Astrid and-"

He hears Jack sigh, "Hic, is that what this is about?"

Hiccup is mute.

"Hic, I was just happy about us winning and…it was just a hug. It didn't mean anything. I still think she's a cold-hearted bitch for what she did to you but I'm a gentleman."

Hiccup clutches the phone, "So you still love me?"

Jack sighs again, "Come on Skype, baby."

Hiccup gets his laptop with shaking hands, logging onto Skype, wondering what Jack's going to say to him. Jack is still in his soccer uniform and he looks worn out but he adjusts his webcam and then takes something out from his gymbag.

"I was going to give this to you on your birthday, but it looks like you need a major ego-boost."

He unfolds a piece of material out and holds it in front of the screen; it's a soccer shirt, but before Hiccup reminds him that he doesn't play soccer, he notices it has 'Hic,' written in big letters on it and a big one in the middle.

"Because you're my number one guy," Jack says and then blushes at how cheesy that sounds.

Hiccup leans over and kisses the screen, smiling as Jack does the same.

"I love you so much, Jack."

Jack smiles, looking like he's about to cry, "I love you too. And don't you ever think otherwise."


	14. Celebrating

Hiccup wonders if he should invite Jack over at Christmas.

It seems rather intruding, seeing as it's supposed to be a family event and Hiccup is unsure of whether Jack's family really views him in that light. He's met Jack's parents before but they've never met his own father. They've met Toothless on several occasions and he's not certain they like him at all. They may feel out of place in his home and that's the last thing he wants.

He decides to go for it anyway – the worst Jack can do is say no. And even if he does, it's not the end of the world.

Not really anyway.

He Skypes Jack as soon as he's done clearing the snow out of his front yard. Jack seems to be in flighty spirits, despite it being a cold December morning.

"Happily holidays!" He chirps happily and Hiccup laughs when he sees Bunnymund with his own little santa hat, looking incredibly annoyed.

"Happy Holidays," he twiddles his thumbs nervously, sticking the question to the back of his mind, "So…how are things?"

"They're great! God, I have so many relatives over for Christmas; my Aunt Ana, my Uncle North, my cousins; Jamie, Sophie and Sandy...' He counts them all on his fingers, 'Let's just say the Christmas Quiz is going to be interesting this year."

Hiccup twitches in discomfort as Jack carries on talking; it seems obvious that Christmas is a very family orientated time of the year for him. Hiccup doesn't have an aunt or uncle or any cousins. It's usually just he and his dad – and Toothless of course. He decides not to waste his time asking.

"Hey Hic," Jack says after a while, his voice suddenly getting lower, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Well…I was just wondering…I mean, I know that you don't do much at Christmas, seeing as it's just your dad and you but…well, I explained that to Mom and she said that if you want to come over, you'd be perfectly welcome to."

Hiccup opens his mouth, but no words come out. He just sits there, staring at the screen.

"Hic, are you okay?" Jack's voice brings him back to life, "Look, if you have other plans, that's fine-"

"No, no, we'd love to!" Hiccup says quickly, "I just hope we aren't intruding."

Jack smiles, 'Of course you aren't, silly. I've told Jamie and Sophie all about you – well, Emma's done most of the telling. They can't wait to meet you."

Hiccup is unsure of how to feel about this; socially awkward is his middle name and the idea of meeting new people rather unsettles him. But still, he can't pass up this oppurtunity to see Jack.

"It sounds great," he replies, a grin crossing his face, "I just hope I can keep up with everyone."

"Just be your usual adorable self and you'll be fine,' Jack winks at him, "Tell you what, why don't you come over on Christmas Eve and stay the night? Your dad can bring Toothless over in the morning."

Hiccup's heart begins to flutter, "That sounds wonderful…"

"Are you sure you're okay Hic? You look a little distracted."

"I'm fine…" Hiccup replies pathetically, trying to regain his focus on the laptop screen, "So…shall I come over at eight?"

Jack pretends to roll his eyes in thought, "Better make it midday. I want to make the most of our Christmas Eve."

Hiccup fights to stay upright on his chair.

* * *

"Christmas at Jack's house?" Stoick sounds remotely surprised.

"His mom invited us," Hiccup eyes his father pleadingly, "Can we go Dad? Please?"

"Well…I don't see why not," it's been a while since he and Hiccup actually did anything at Christmas. Ever since his wife died it hasn't been easy, "So Jack wants you round for Christmas Eve as well?"

"Well," Hiccup scuffs his heel against the floor, "Look, Dad, if you want me to stay at home to keep you company-"

Stoick holds up a hand to silence him, "I won't come in between you and your other half, Hic. I'll be fine. Besides, I'll have the bloody dog to watch." He glares at Toothless, who immediately stops scratching at the table leg and sits angelically.

"Are you sure Dad?"

"It's no problem son," Stoick says with a smile, "You have a good time – though stay out of the bedroom. We haven't had 'The Talk' yet-"

"We will Dad," Hiccup says quickly, "I can garuntee, I won't need 'The Talk' for a long time."

* * *

Jack's family are exactly how Hiccup imagined them. Loud, rather eccentric – but at the same time loving and caring and always happy.

Jamie and Sophie are on Hiccup's case as soon as he's through the front door, asking him endless questions and asking him to play with them and all the other sort of stuff small children ask you. Hiccup casts a look at Jack, who rolls his eyes at his cousin's hyper behaviour and then calmly manages to direct their attention to the TV, where one of their favourite Christmas cartoons is about to start (thank God for small mercies.)

Jack's Aunt Ana is something else; she's a tall woman wearing a lovely emerald dress and has her hair dip-dyed rainbow coloured, which Hiccup thinks is awesome. She greets him with a powdery hug and he inhales the beautiful scent of lavender and herbal tea from her shoulder, an odd combination that he never imagined would work so well. Turns out she is a dentist, which slightly unnerves him, as he previously wore braces and has always been rather self concious about his slightly crooked front teeth. He decides not to open his mouth too much around her.

Jack also has an uncle (who everyone calls Uncle North,) and Hiccup finds that he's even larger than his own father Stoick; a buff, tall man with a lot of stomach and tattoos saying 'naughty' and 'nice' on each arm. He reminds Hiccup of Santa Claus and Jack laughs himself to tears later on when he tells him that.

Jack's other cousin is older than Sophie and Jamie but slightly younger than Hiccup himself; his name is Sam but everyone calls him Sandy on account of his sandy coloured hair. Sandy doesn't speak but it turns out he likes drawing too and he shows Hiccup some of his sketches while the kids are distracted by the TV.

Jack is like a kid in a candy store on Christmas Eve; when everyone retires to their rooms and Hiccup slips into bed next to the snow-haired boy, all he hears is, "Hic, is it Christmas yet?" to which he mumbles a disgruntled, "No," until Jack asks again. In the end, he has to roll over and silence Jack with a kiss to get him to stop.

They have a rude awakening by three very bouncy, excited children hopping up and down on them, crying, "Get up! Get up! It's Christmas!"

They have to wait until everyone is awake (which can be frustrating, as Uncle North practically falls into a coma when he sleeps,) before they go into the living room and exchange gifts. Hiccup isn't used to this ritual. His dad usually just leaves a present for him by his bed while he's asleep so it's there when he wakes up. Jack's family sit and hand around the parcels and comment on each one; whether it be good, bad or embarrasing.

Hiccup gives Emma her gift - a little charm bracelet with animals on it that she had been hounding her parent for for months – and he recieves a bone-breaking hug in return. He also gives Bunnymund a little bag of rabbit feed which he happily chomps on. His dad insisted that they get a present for Jack's parents as a thank you for letting him stay so he gives them the orchid and chocolates he chose specially, which they are most grateful for. And then he turns to Jack.

"I um…" he takes out the small parcel, twisting it in his hands, "…I didn't really know what to get you so…don't laugh."

Jack unwraps it and finds it's a small photo frame with a picture of them in it; it's been customised with little hearts and a small message saying, "Eight months and still going!"

His blue eyes fill up with tears, "Oh Hic…" and he puts both arms around his neck, capturing his lips in a tender kiss.

Uncle North throws a cushion at him, "Honestly - young love! Save it for the mistletoe later!"

Sophie cocks her head at them, "They're like princesses…"

Jamie pulls a face, "Ew, kissing is disgusting!"

Jack gives Hiccup his gift; it's a brand new sketchbook (his old one was getting full,) with small dragons on it and a set of pens to draw with. Needless to say, he is instantly tackled to the floor in a hug.

The doorbell goes and as soon as Clarice opens it a large streak of black comes shooting through to the living room and almost crashes into the coffee table. From her armchair, Jack's grandmother wakes up with a start.

"Toothless!" Comes Stoick's booming voice as he stumbles in, "Have you no manners?" He turns to James and Clarice apologetically, "I'm so sorry."

"It's Christmas," James shrugs, smiling and offering Stoick a hand. He's a matchstick compared to the larger man and Jack fights not to laugh when his arm is very nearly shaken off.

Jack's parents have a gift for Hiccup as well; a small porcelain dragon to put in his living room.

"Jack told us how much you like dragons." Clarice says with a smile.

Hiccup had worried at first about his father socialising; he hasn't done so for a while since his mother died, except with his closest friend Gobber and the other "lads" down at the pub. But as the day goes on, he feels more at ease. Stoick gets on well with James and especially Uncle North, though Hiccup knew they would find something to talk about. He gets on the best with Aunt Ana though; the two of them are still talking by the time dinner's ready and when they go to sit down, Ana saves a seat for him next to her.

It's the best Christmas meal Hiccup's had since he was small and though he normally has a very reserved appetite, he finds that he eats every scrap on his plate. After dinner he partakes in the notourious Christmas Quiz which Jack warned could divide the family at times and his keen knowledge of Art and Geography win he and Jack the game.

When it gets to the part of the evening where things start to wind down, he and Jack go and lie down on the couch by the fire while the adults talk and the children play with Toothless and Bunnymund on the rug. Hiccup curls up beside Jack, the heat of the flames making him tired and sleepy and he looks across the room to his dad, who is in deep conversaton with Ana.

They're sitting very close, he notices. Very close indeed.

And he's only semi aware of what's going on. But he tells himself that it's just in his head. Stoick isn't a ladies man. He had always said that he wasn't interested in that sort of thing after Hiccup's mom passed. But he sits there next to Ana and it's the happiest Hiccup has seen him in a while.

He begins to feel sick.

Jack's soft lips on his forehead come as a comfort and he nuzzles his face under his neck, wanting him to distract him from the pair in the corner. Jack glances upwards and sees the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling after being craftily placed there by Uncle North. Quite a few people have been under there tonight; Sophie kissed Jamie on the cheek (much to his annoyance,) James had given Clarice a light peck and Emma had got Bunnymund and Toothless to touch noses, though that didn't quite count as a kiss.

Hiccup glances up also and meets Jack's eyes.

"Our turn I suppose."

Jack smiles and leans down to connect their lips, the warmth from the hearth making his mind swim and his hands fondle about everywhere. After a good long while they pull away and Hiccup looks up into the blue depths of Jack's eyes, a small smile creeping up on his face.

"As cliché as this sounds…this has been the best Christmas ever Jack."

Jack returns the smile and leans down to peck his boyfriend on the lips again, "Got any plans for New Year?"


	15. Intimidating

**Okay, so I'm going to rate this chapter as M just for precautions because it contains some nudity (don't worry, nothing too graphic! I really hope this isn't a problem for anyone.**

* * *

"That was some tackle you did there, Frost." Tuffnut remarks as he towels off his long hair, "That other kid almost went flying."

Things took a lame turn when school started again after the winter holidays. But it comforts Jack to know he won't have to face Pitch in the new term. In Berk Academy he isn't a victim. He's admired by everyone; even those who envy him love him. Although he knows he's also attracted some unwanted attention from some of the girls; Astrid and Ruffnut in particular. Ruffnut has always had a soft spot for him which she tried bitterly to hide, though there's an obvious glitter in her eye whenever he brushes past her or stops to have a conversation. Astrid is a lot more direct; she has a game plan going on, some sort of twisted plot to get her and Jack together, to make him fall into her arms. He doesn't know whether it's all genuine or just another sick joke to spite Hiccup but he doesn't like it. He doesn't like it one bit.

But at least he has Hiccup to fall back on. And some of his friends who were once Hiccup's sworn enemies; ever since they started hanging out with Jack, there was a pact made that they would treat Hiccup with respect. From now on they stay away from him and they keep their opinions to themselves.

They're actually not a bad bunch when you really get to know them; Ruffnut does sports herself (rather vicious ones,) so she and Jack have that to talk about. Plus she gives great massages, so if he ever pulls a muscle after a game she'll be there to lend a hand – and hopefully not break a few bones in the process. She actually has a great sense of humour as well. Jack sometimes thinks, if he were straight, they would maybe have made a good pair. But she's a little too rough for his liking (hence her name,) and besides, Hiccup is his one and only.

Jack is still unsure of Snotlout; they have a laugh now and then and chat about sports and sometimes stay after school to practice soccer together. But Jack still finds him rather spiteful and generally likes to keep away from him when he's being unnecesarially cruel to people.

But Tuffnut is surprisingly a lot more laid back and friendly – when away from the others that is; it's noticeable that when he and his sister are seperated he's easier to talk to. He's the one who follows Jack around the most, the way a guard dog would and like Ruffnut, he goes pink whenever Jack comes near him.

No one's really sure why this is. Well, Fishlegs knows why, but no one ever listens to him.

"Thanks Tuff," Jack replies, twisting the shower handle slightly, "Damn, this water's like ice!"

"I thought you liked the cold."

"Yeah, but cold showers?" He shudders.

"I feel you, Dude." Tuffnut goes quiet and looks down at his wet hair which is sticking to his chest. He sighs and fingers his blonde locks, "I really need to get it cut…"

"I like it long," Jack reaches out and curls a finger around the end, "Brings out your eyes."

Tuffnut is not one to respond to flattery; but this comment from Jack, with the additon of him playing with his hair, makes him shrink slightly. Jack notices but doesn't comment; Tuffnut is almost as small as Hiccup and for some reason that discourages him from poking fun.

"I better go find my sister," Tuffnut says at long last, breaking the eye contact as he wraps a towel around his waist, "The Lacrosse tournament is almost over and no doubt she's knocked out a few teeth."

"Good luck getting her off the pitch," Jack smirks and then adds, "And keep up with the workouts. It's really beginning to show." He glances at Tuffnut's torso.

Tuffnut glances down also, at the muscle that's becoming evident on his abdomen, "You really think so?"

Jack reaches forwards and pokes him, "See that? Solid."

Tuffnut flushes at the touch but quickly masks it by playfully throwing a towel in Jack's face, "You're such a queer Frost."

"Only for you Tuff," Jack grins, throwing the towel off, "Only for you."

Again, Tuffnut flushes at this comment, lips curling up like a happy cat and he leaves quickly, before he makes a scene of himself. Jack finally gets the damned shower working and takes his time rinsing away the lone smears of mud and grass in his hair and body, the hot water cleansing the skin and leaving it fresh.

He hears footsteps, bare feet slapping against the wet floor of the shower and he assumes it's Tuffnut come back to retrieve something he left behind. He turns to greet him – and is met with quite a different face.

"Astrid?" He glances down and his face flushes red as he grabs a towel to cover up certain parts he doesn't want seen.

Astrid giggles, "Sorry. The girl's shower isn't working and I've just had cheer practice. Mind if I use yours?"

Jack is aware of the strict rules about male and female facilities; though he's sure Astrid is aware of them as well. If they're caught, it'll be curtains for the both of them.

"You shouldn't be here…" he says as firmly as he can, once the towel is safely wrapped around his waist.

"I know," she bites her bottom lip, "But I really need a bathe," she's already unwrapping the towel from around her body, "I'll turn away if you want."

Jack glances around, ensuring no one is there watching this and then goes back to washing silently; he's aware of her unwrapping her towel, flinging it over the side of the shower, but he ignores her, doing his best to get washed and done with it. The conditioner won't rub into his hair fast enough, no matter how hard he digs his fingers into his scalp. He just wants to get out of there fast.

He turns to set the bottle of conditioner down – and suddenly he's met by quite a sight. He turns a furious shade of red and looks away again; had he been into girls, he would have probably been less bashful. Now all he wants to do is hide.

She laughs, "If you wanted to see a nice pair of tits, all you had to do was ask."

This comment annoys him, "I can assure you, I didn't want to see them."

She fingers her blonde hair, "Can I borrow some conditioner?"

He kicks the bottle over to her and keeps his back turned as she pours the stuff onto her scalp, gently running it through her thick locks. Jack tries to ignore her again, taking out a bottle of peach scented shower gel; it always makes him smile when he smells it. Hiccup washes with it all the time and Jack had always pointed out that he smelt delicious, so Hiccup had leant him a bottle of the stuff.

He inhales the sweet scent as he slathers it all over his body; across his torso, around his shoulders and sloppily attempts to get some onto his back, though he can never reach that far. He feels hands that are not his own gently running up his spine; Astrid rubs the gel into his back until they form bubbles on the pale skin and Jack is too stunned to move; her hands work in circular motions, fingertips gently caressing his flesh and he finds that he succombs to her touch.

He finally manages to move away from her and mutters through gritted teeth, "Thanks…"

"Anytime."

There's a burning heat between them and he doesn't like it; the only person he wants near him right now is Hiccup and Hiccup alone and Astrid's presence just makes him feel unsettled. He knows what her intentions are and he doesn't like it. He longs to burst her bubble, tell her he doesn't swing that way; but doing that would put both he and Hiccup in danger. Berk Academy is not as welcoming to same-sex relationships as some other schools; you come out as gay and you get ripped apart. That's practically the school motto. He can't put Hiccup through that.

He rinses his hair and switches the shower off; he turns and suddenly he's nose to nose with her, their foreheads touching, their wet lips hovering close to each other, trembling slightly in anticipation. He feels the tips of her naked breasts pressing against his chest, sending a fresh pulse of fear throughout his veins.

"Hopefully they'll get the girl's showers working soon," he says, too afraid to think of moving or saying anything remotely intelligent.

Astrid smiles at him weakly, pressing a hand against his broad shoulder, "There was nothing wrong with them in the first place…"

Jack wants to cry; not just at the knowledge that he's been such an idiot and got himself into this scrape by falling for the old broken shower excuse, but also for being put in such an unsettling position. His mind flashes back to his childhood and all he can see when he looks at Astrid is the face of his foster mother. He snaps out of his dreary state and steps away from her, tightening the sodden towel around his waist and going to retrieve his clothes.

"I'll walk out with you-" Astrid begins but Jack waves her away.

"Please, just leave me be…" he mumbles quietly, collecting his clothes and quickly leaving to change.

* * *

**Please don't shoot me! My friend really wanted me to try some Jackstrid but don't fret! It's completely one sided!**


	16. Regretting

Hiccup has never experienced a proper Valentines Day before.

He perches on the wall of his front yard timidly, twisting Jack's present in his hands. It's quite pathetic really; he didn't have enough money for anything glamorous so he settled for buying Jack his favourite kind of chocolate – strawberry creams in the shape of little hearts, all tied up in a little satin bag. He hopes Jack won't find it dorky or weird. That's the last thing he wants.

He hears the turning of wheels and smirks when he sees Jack coming down the street on his bike; he turns into Hiccup's drive and parks in the hedge like he always does, running back to the wall to greet the smaller boy with a kiss.

"Happy Valentines day," Hiccup awkwardly hands him his present, flushing as Jack opens it and his eyes go wide, "Do you like it?"

Jack responds by pressing their lips together again.

"You. Are. So. Sweet," each word is punctuated with a small peck, "Seriously Hic, Mom hardly ever lets me have these. And Aunt Ana says all they'll give me is a mouthful of cavaties." He suddenly grins, "Which reminds me, how is she and your dad getting along?"

Hiccup doesn't really want to talk about it. He knew something had gone on between the two at Christmas; Stoick had been oddly talkative on their way home, humming along to the Christmas songs on the radio, talking about how lovely Jack's family were, while Hiccup sat in the back with Toothless' head nestled on his lap, too sucked in by his cell phone to listen properly.

After a while, Stoick had paused and then said, "Ana was very nice, wasn't she?"

"What?" Hiccup asked, distracted by a text from Jack wishing him goodnight, "Oh yeah, she was lovely."

He hadn't really noticed at the time, but looking back he saw how happy Stoick looked when he and Ana were talking, like a child with their first puppy love. After Christmas, he found that Stoick was in regular contact with Ana; it started off with him coming down for a glass of water and hearing his father talking on the phone with her; now Stoick would be out late most nights, at a restaurant or a theatre, and not get back till early morning. He certainly wasn't going to all these places himself, Hiccup knew that much.

And then one time, he had heard his dad's car drawing up in the driveway and when he'd gone to look out the window, he saw the two sharing a kiss outside on the lawn, confirming his suspicions.

He tries not to let it bother him. Ana is a lovely woman; she's always kind to Hiccup and makes him laugh and gives him advice whenever he's nervous about school or grades or bullies. Her own husband died five years ago, so she knows what it's like to go through the pain of losing a spouse.

But still…Hiccup just doesn't feel like he's ready for a female presence in the house; someone he'll have to call 'mom' – if it gets that far, that is. He has mixed feelings about the whole thing. He wants his dad to be happy, but at the same time he doesn't want him to forget his mom.

"They're fine," Hiccup replies vaguely and notices the small parcel in Jack's hand. He grins, "Is that for me?"

Jack glances at it, "Nah, it's for Toothless. He's such an attractive dog, I couldn't resist letting him know how I feel." He laughs at Hiccup's expression, "Of course it's for you, you idiot."

Hiccup rolls his eyes fondly and unwraps it; it's a little snow white bear holding a tiny love heart with 'I adore you,' written upon it.

He holds it up to Jack and raises an eyebrow, "A stuffed bear? Really?"

Jack smirks, "Sorry, there weren't any dragons."

He receives six or seven kisses on the cheek, "I love it Jack, I'll put him on my shelf. Has he got a name?"

"Mr. Fluff," he shrugs when Hiccup gives him a confused look, "Emma's idea, not mine."

They spend the rest of the day curled up on Hiccup's bed, talking about things, kissing, holding each other, playing on his laptop, kissing some more, mucking around with Toothless and then, of course, kissing again.

Hiccup pauses mid-kiss and looks into Jack's eyes, "Jack?"

"Mm hm?"

"I know sometimes I get distracted by stupid things like homework and chores and Toothless' flea treatment and everything…and I know I don't always tell you this because I'm so caught up in my own little geeky world but…I love you and I should be telling you that everyday. You're the most amazing person I've ever met in my life and…we've been dating for nearly a year now but it feels like a lifetime. You're so funny and friendly and good with kids – good with everyone. You've put up with so much hardship in your life and come out as such a sweet and good natured person. I don't know if you feel the same but…I think you're the one. I can't imagine being with anyone else. Just you." He blushes slightly, "It's so cliché I know, but…that's how I truly feel."

Jack looks at him properly, right into his large, green eyes and his mind flashes back to the incident with Astrid in the shower; how he had stood there and not pushed her away like he should have done. He feels guilty. He feels like he's cheated on Hiccup in some way – even though there wasn't one bit of attraction lingering in his bones when it happened. It was fear, pure fear. He hated Astrid but he was also scared of her, of what she could do, how she could mess with his head and get him to freeze like that. The guilt won't go away; he listens to Hiccup throwing up words that he knows are difficult for him to say and he feels dirty, bitter guilt.

"Hic…" he says quietly, wanting to tell him about what happened in the showers; Hiccup will understand, he's sweet like that. He'll understand and he'll kiss Jack and comfort him and everything will be alright.

That or he'll push him away or slap him and tell him he never wants to see his lying, cheating face again.

He won't take the risk.

"Hic, you…you are one in a million. You're smart, you're funny, you're cute and your personality is just out of this world. You talk sense into me when I'm being an idiot, you comfort me when all I want to do is cry. I can talk to you about anything without feeling out of place or awkward. If I were ever to lose you Hic, I would only feel half alive and I mean that. I would do anything, anything to keep you in my life. Hiccup, I know you're the one. I don't care if some people think it's too early for me to say that, but I am convinced you're the one. I love you and there's nothing, nothing I wouldn't do for you. I'd protect you with my life. That's a promise."

They hold each other close and Jack tries to keep his mind focused on the boy in his arms; he distracts himself by opening Hiccup's gift and popping a chocolate into the smaller boy's mouth to sweeten him up.

Though he knows that when he returns home and rests his head on his pillow to sleep, all he'll hear is that running water and Astrid's venemous voice begging him to take a step closer.


	17. Revealing

"You really need to start warming up before soccer practice." Ruffnut laughs, pressing her palm harder onto Jack's shoulder blade until she hears a definite crack.

Jack winces, eyes squeezing shut, "I've been a little distracted lately."

He pulled his shoulder so badly that he had to take a time out from practicing and next thing he knows he's draped over one of the benches, shirtless, with Ruffnut massaging the sore area, though not always gently. Fortunately he still gets to bark orders across the pitch. And the chance to get a quick tan.

"Doesn't Hiccup normally come and watch you practice?" Ruffnut asks, pressing her fingertips solidly into his skin, making him gasp.

"He has art coursework to catch up on –_ aah_, not so hard!"

"Lightweight," she grins, "Couldn't he have done it out here? Nice enough day."

"Nah, his teacher's an asshole. He's keeping them all inside."

Ruffnut wets her lips slighty, gentling her hands on Jack's back to ease the pain a little. She feels him relax, as if he's about to fall asleep and she allows her hair to fall into her eyes to hide the smile that's forming. That stupid, girly smile that always forms when Jack Frost is nearby.

She clears her throat, "Almost done."

Jack grits his teeth as another bone creaks under the weight of her hands, "Yep. Next time I'm _definately_ warming up."

She snorts but it seems a bit put on. She's itching to say something, but she seems unsure what. She opens and shuts her mouth like a goldfish until she finally gets past her uncertainty and decides to take the plunge.

"Hey, listen…" once she begins, she knows there's no going back, "…after practice is over, you wanna grab a milkshake?"

Jack nods beneath her, "Sure. Sounds good."

She takes a steady breath but it comes out shaky, "And then…maybe after that…you can come over to mine. My brother is going to Snot's after school, there wouldn't be anyone to…"

He turns and peers up at her and she knows she's crossed the line.

"I…uh…forget I said anything." She bites her lip fiercely, internally cursing herself for being so dumb.

But Jack turns over and takes her shoulders, "No, Ruff, it's fine, I just…can you keep a secret?"

She nods, intrigued.

"I…I don't…" He tries to calm himself before his nerves give way, "I…prefer boys…if you get what I mean."

She stares at him; a flash of pain crosses from one eye to the other but then she nods understandably.

"Well…I was beginning to wonder. You and Hiccup always seemed…_close_."

"He means the world to me," Jack sighs, "Promise you won't tell anyone Ruff?"

"What do you take me for? A sneak?" She grins, "I won't even tell Tuff."

He grins back, "I'll hold you to that."

He turns back onto his front and she finishes the massage; one final crack and Jack shudders in relief, going to slip his shirt back on. He notices Ruffnut wavering and flashes her a symapthetic look.

"Listen, if you're still up for that milkshake...?"

She looks at him questioningly. And then her mouth stretches out into a smile.


	18. Rejecting

The locker room is empty, save the lone figure of Jack Frost carefully changing out of his uniform and storing it back in his locker. Another successful win, which makes it their twelfth in a row. Jack sure is a lucky charm when it comes to soccer. He remembers seeing Hiccup in the stand and grins to himself. God, he loves that kid. It's getting to the stage where their relationship looks like it's for the long run; they've been together for nearly a year now and their feelings for each other have remained the same. They know each other inside out. So where do they go from there?

Jack senses someone else's presence in the room and turns, assuming it's a member of the team come back to collect a pair of sneakers they left behind, or congratulate him on the win again. But it's only Astrid, still in her cheerleading uniform, watching him from afar. He resists the urge to groan out loud and gives her a forced, friendly smile.

"Still here?"

She smiles; not her usual smirk; a sort of timid, rather embarrassed smile that creeps across her lips as both cheeks heat up slightly. She's honoured that he's actually acknowleged her existence.

"The girls and I are going to get some shakes to celebrate our win…" she lowers her eyes to the floor and then brings them back up slowly, "Care to join us?"

"Sorry, can't." Jack replies, removing his shirt to place it into the locker. He notices that her cheeks heat up even more, "I'm meeting Hiccup."

Her eyes flash with jealousy, "Oh…"

He hopes the message has got through to her; that he's not interested. But she won't let up. Like Merida pointed out, she's too stubborn for her own good.

"Well…maybe we could…you know, take a walk before you go and meet him?" She sounds hopeful, trying to be subtle but failing.

"That's a very kind offer," he puts his shirt back on, "But I promised I'd be there by eight."

She rolls her tongue over her bottom lip, running out of ideas, "I'm sure he can wait," her smirk returns, as bitter as ever, "Besides, he's only a geek-"

"Don't call him that," Jack drops his polite fatigue and turns to glower at her, but all of a sudden she's nose to nose with him and he realises something that he missed earlier – she's wearing make-up. If there's one thing Astrid Hofferson never does, it's wear make-up. But now she's caked in it; heavy mascara, scarlet lipstick, foundation on every corner of her face.

She looks beautiful, but beauty is only skin deep.

"Please, leave me alone," he says, side-stepping to get around her. But she leaps into his path again.

"What do you see in him?" she's desperate again, staring into his eyes for an answer. She's trying to work her magic; their bodies touch, foreheads brushing together and one of her manicured fingernails reaches out to stroke his collar, "What's he got that keeps making you go back to him?"

He knows what she's really itching to say; _What's he got that I don't?_

"You really want to know?" He throws himself into the deep end, "Hiccup and I have been together since last summer. He's the most amazing, beautiful person I have ever met and I don't know where I'd be right now without him. I love him and I'm tired of everyone giving him shit for being who he is. So that's why I go back to him; because he's decent inside out. Something_ you'll_ never be."

She stares at him throughout this speech, bottom lip quivering. Her cheeks are flushed but she refuses to allow him to see her so vulnerable, so close to tears.

"Yeah, that figures…" she mutters horribly, "You and Frigid. You feel so sorry for him that you've agreed to take him under your wing; have him as your little bed bug-"

"You watch your mouth." Jack snaps angrily.

"Haven't you even thought of your reputation?" she goes on, "I mean, I have nothing against a boy liking a boy but there are people in this school who do. If anyone finds out, they'll butcher you both."

"I'm willing to take that risk."

"But…" her eyes hover a moment – and suddenly she grasps Jack's front, "I could be your cover. It makes sense – you're the captain of the soccer team, I'm the head cheerleader. It'll work. No one would ever-"

Jack gently grasps her hands and pulls them away, "Thanks but no thanks. I'm tired of lying Astrid. I don't care if anyone finds out; I'm in love with Hiccup Haddock and no one can change that. Especially not you."

She flushes in anger and the sides of her eyes suddenly drip black as thick, mascara clad tears begin to appear. Jack feels that he's taken it a step too far and decides to leave before he loses his temper; but Astrid seizes the back of his neck and he's not prepared for her strength; she pulls him into a messy kiss, smudging her red lipstick all along the side of his mouth while he jerks and tries to prise her off. He's never been kissed by a girl before and he doesn't like it; it just doesn't feel the same as kissing a boy. Astrid grasps his face and kisses him with fury, crushing their lips together until it's almost painful. She's in tears, nails unintentionally digging into his skin as she fights to gain control, get him to see sense; that Hiccup is just a loser and she's the real thing.

She's wants him. She's never wanted a boy before; she's always thought they were pathetic, annoying slobs. But Jack Frost is so different. So unbelievably different. She wants him to want her back. She wants him to love her.

Jack finally manages to seize her wrists and yank her off; he pushes a little too vigorously and she ends up on the floor, her head slamming against one of the benches painfully. Jack feels that he should stoop down and help her up, ensure that she isn't badly hurt; but he has this growing fear that she'll go for him again and all he can do is step over her, staggering towards the door as his mind tries to process what the hell just happened.

He hears her screaming after him, "JACK! JACK, IF YOU LEAVE ME HERE, I SWEAR I WILL RUIN YOU! YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL _RUIN_ YOU!'

He ignores her, slamming the door shut behind him.


	19. Threatening

As soon as he gets home, Jack slams a fist into the wall; then calms himself before his temper gets the better of him and rubs his sore knuckles. Bunnymund peers out at him from his cage so he lets him out; the rabbit twitches his nose at him curiously, trying to work out what's wrong. The boy sobs for a bit, releasing his anger and cuddles his pet rabbit to him, while Bunnymund (in a rare display of affection,) nuzzles his furry head close under Jack's neck.

Jack decides to call Hiccup and tell him what happened; just the sound of his voice will be a comfort. Besides, tomorrow is their one year anniversary. A day where it's all about them. He won't have to worry about anything else.

He flicks on his phone to dial his number but a call suddenly comes through, from an unknown number. Cautiously, he accepts it.

"H-hello?"

Silence. And then a familiar, husk voice.

"You really thought you could get away Jackson?"

He freezes and his hand suddenly goes into a spasm; he can't control that electrifying sense of fear that always comes over him whenever he hears Pitch Black's voice.

"H-How did you-?"

"Look out of your window."

Jack turns stiffly, staring at the curtains billowing by his cabinet on the far end of the room. He doesn't want to look but he knows that Pitch will find a way in eventually; he goes and draws the curtains apart, meeting a dark of familiar dark eyes.

"Open the window, Jack."

He obeys, for he knows if he doesn't Pitch will just find another way inside. His hands shake and as soon as he's in, Pitch has him by the throat, shoving him down onto the bed.

"I've missed you."

A tongue finds its way into Jack's mouth and he knows better than to fight it off; he complies, sobbing until Pitch is finished and withdraws.

"P-please…" he stammers, trying to shift into a more comfortable position, "Please don't-"

"If you make any noise…" Pitch reaches a hand back into his hood and Jack sees the small outline of a knife in his hold, "…just one squeak….and I'll go into your sister's room and slice her throat."

Jack's mind flashes to Emma and he sobs some more, though they are muffled by Pitch's coarse palm against his mouth. The older boy leans down and claims his lips again, swallowing the screams until Jack is kicking and writhing beneath him, like he used to do when they were together and Pitch was in a bad mood. When Pitch finally pulls away, the snow-haired boy is a mess.

It's not done, it never ends there; the rustling of clothing being loosened and a sudden cold air reaching between his thighs sends Jack into a flurry. He keels backwards and manages to thrust himself forwards to knock Pitch away from him; yet before he can twist around or call for help, the older boy is upon him again and he finds a cold steel pressing against his neck.

'Try that again, and I'll slit your throat.'

Jack freezes, trying without success to keep calm like he usually does. The knife is removed from his flesh and Pitch suddenly bites down on his throat in warning; nicking the delicate skin in the process and spilling a few drops of his blood upon the bedsheets below. A cry of protest flies from Jack's lips but he realises the louder he hollers, the tighter the teeth chew at the flesh on his neck.

'Stop…' he gasps, hands moving to the other boy's face to yank him off, 'I won't…I'll keep still-'

The teeth are removed, leaving dents in the skin. Neck mauled, he shuts his eyes in an attempt to focus on his breathing; he feels the coarse roughness of a hand gently press against his cheek; the touch tells him a history of violence and heavy lifting, judging by the hard skin. It drives Jack wild.

When Pitch sticks his tongue out to shove it in Jack's mouth again, the boy retaliates and sinks his teeth into the poisoned instrument until he tastes blood, to which the other boy leaps back and covers his mouth. Jack knows he's really done it now, that he's going to be torn apart from the neck down and he curls up protectively as Pitch regains his posture and turns on him.

But oddly, he's merely pushed backwards, the knife tossed next to him as if in threat - and then Pitch takes his knees.

Jack whimpers as his trousers and pants find their way to his ankles and his legs are parted. He is gripped by vicious hands and Jack can stand the humiliation no longer; he kicks him, a square blow to the jaw which sends Pitch sprawling across the floor. Jack quickly pulls his pants back up, hands shaking and he meets those dark eyes and they glower.

"Still kick like a bitch then, Frost?"

Jack goes for him again but Pitch reaches out and snatches Bunnymund by the back of the neck, the knife dangerously close to the rabbit's gut so one swift flick will have him bleeding to death in a matter of minutes. Jack stares, hands shaking so violently, he has no control over them anymore.

"No…" is all he manages to gasp, "Please…"

"This is what will happen, Jackson," Pitch grips Bunnymund tighter and he makes a horrible screaming noise, a noise Jack never wants to hear again, "If you go back to him, your little friend will feel the exact same pain you're feeling right now – only worse."

Jack flinches, "You stay away from Hiccup."

Pitch laughs, "He really is a little cutie, isn't he? I think I'll pay him a little visit tonight. Bring some of my friends along-"

"If you touch him," Jack hisses, too weak to shout, "If you dare touch him, I will kill you Pitch! I will kill you!"

Pitch laughs again, "Would you like to see that Jack? Your precious little Hiccup, handcuffed, beaten, raped-?"

"No!" Jack can't help but raise his voice, "I'll do anything, please, just don't hurt him!"

There's silence and he knows Pitch is considering. Bunnymund is suddenly shoved back into his arms and he curls in the corner with his pet, sobbing and cuddling the frightened animal. The shallow voice finally returns.

"Listen carefully, Frost."


	20. Breaking

Hiccup wakes up on the morning of their one year anniversary and is surprised to see there isn't a text from Jack. He waits for most of the morning; Jack is always the one to text first, brighten up his day by calling him beautiful or making a witty comment on his freckles, just something.

His phone remains silent all morning.

In the end, he rings Jack himself, wondering if he's forgotten. He can tell something is wrong the minute Jack picks up; there's a tremor in his voice that won't seem to go away.

"Jack, are you alright?"

Jack is slow to reply, "Yeah…I-I'm fine."

"You never texted me."

"I'm sorry…"

He sounds close to tears and Hiccup clutches his phone closer, "Sweetie, is something wro-?"

"Look Hic," Jack interrupts, "I don't think this is going to work."

Hiccup is taken back for a moment; and then his grip gets tighter, "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I…I want to break up…"

Time comes to a halt then. Everything just spirals out of control. Waters rushes to Hiccup's eyes. He needs Jack to repeat himself, just to make sure he actually said those words, _I want to break up_.

"But…" Hiccup stammers, "Why?"

Again, Jack is slow to reply, "I…I just need some space, Hic. I'm just not up for this right now. I'm sorry."

The tears spill over Hiccup's eyes and he begins sobbing, "Jack, please! Can't we talk about this-?"

"_No_, Hic." Jack is firm now, "I'm sorry. It's over."

The line goes dead before Hiccup can speak again. He keeps his cell pressed to his ear for about five minutes, in case he's dreaming and Jack will start talking to him again, snapping him out of it.

Then he throws it across the room in fury; it smashes against the wall and falls to the floor in pieces but Hiccup hardly notices. He throws himself against his pillow and cries like he's never cried before, loud sobs that jump off each wall and awaken the large black dog who is sleeping under his desk.

Toothless knows what crying is; he hops onto the boy's bed and tenderly begins licking his hair, trying to be a comfort. Hiccup barely registers his presence. He continues to cry for all he's worth but his tears only fall against the soft material of the pillow and dry up on the sheets below.

* * *

**The End**

**Lol, just kidding. This chapter was painful to write :( But things shall get better...after a while...**


	21. Consoling

The last time Hiccup remembers crying this much was just after his mother died. He spends two days in his room, doesn't eat, doesn't sleep – and finally on the third day he comes down the stairs, meets Ana in the kitchen and throws his arms around her, sobbing and explaining everything while she rocks him gently back and forth and tells him everything will be alright.

_Everything will be alright._

Nothing is alright. He calls Merida and she comes over for a while; he cries some more and tells her how unfair it is, how he hates love, how he wishes the person who invented love had died in childbirth while Merida holds him like Ana did and does her best to calm him down.

'Bastard…' she mutters about Jack. 'I never liked him. I always thought his eyes were too close together.'

'That's rubbish Merida,' Hiccup manages to chuckle slightly, though he still sniffs back tears, 'you and Jack got on great.'

'Yeah, well, right now I want to back him against a wall and rip off his-'

'Woah, woah, too much information!'

After she leaves, someone else knocks on Hiccup's bedroom door; they've obviously been let in by Stoick. It's Punzie, looking slightly uneasy as she walks in with her silver sandals strapped to her feet, her cute purple dress hanging over her knees. She sees Hiccup and her eyes brim with tears.

"Oh sweetie…" she hurries over to him and wraps him in a tight hug, "I'm so sorry! Merida told me and I just had to come over and see how you were!"

Hiccup smiles weakly and pulls away, "Thanks Punzie."

"Jack won't answer any of my texts," she sighs, flicking on her phone, "I don't know what's gotten into him lately. He hasn't been speaking to anyone."

Hiccup's smile falters and he looks down to the floor. She watches him sympathetically.

"Honey, whatever's going on, I'm sure it isn't your fault."

"Of course it is," Hiccup mumbles, "He realised I wasn't good enough for him."

"Hiccup…" Punzie's voice goes firm and she takes both his hands, "That's not true, you understand me?"

He lowers his eyes, "I just wish I knew what I did wrong."

"Jack is complex, you and I both know that. Maybe he just needed some time to think about things."

"Yeah, I guess. But I can't help it – I _love_ him, Punzie. More than anything."

Punzie pauses in thought, 'I know sweetie.' She brings him in for another hug, "I know…"


	22. Trusting

'What's _up_ with you today Frost?' Snotlout snaps from the lockers, as he struggles to fix his useless lock which has decided _not_ to lock, 'We almost missed out on that penalty because of your hesitating! What were you doing; waiting for the grass to grow?'

Jack sits in the corner, not even listening. His mind plays back to the soccer game, how his mind had wondered when he realised Hiccup wasn't there, in his usual seat with that wonderful smile of his. How the heck was he supposed to concentrate after ackowledging that?

"Are you even listening?' Snotlout thunders, marching over to him and seizing his collar, 'We'd have lost if it wasn't for me saving your ass with that tackle! What the heck's gotten into you lately? It's like your head's in another place!"

"Leave him alone, Snot." Tuffnut mutters from the corner. He hadn't actually played that night; an accident in practice left him with a torn knee ligament and now he's forced to where a splint on it until it heals. He limps over behind Snotlout, wincing slightly, "Who cares if he zoned out? We won the game didn't we?"

"And what if he does it again?" Snot's grip gets tighter, "We're up against Burgess High next week. We can't have lightweights on the team!"

Jack remains mute, eyes studying the floor. Snotlout seizes his shoulders, shaking roughly.

"Do you even give a _damn_ about this team anymore?" he yells fiercely, "Because I as hell don't think you do Frost, the way you keep swanning around, acting like some sort of faggot!"

"Snot,_ quit_ it!" Tuffnut's voice gets louder, the pain in his leg making the blood pump in his ears like boiling water.

"You don't like that word, do you?" Snotlout snarls at Jack, annoyed by his lack of response, "Faggot-"

"I _mean_ it Snot!" Tuffnut comes between them, right in Snotlout's face; a daring act that only a fool would take forwards, "Back off!"

He's almost two heads shorter than Snotlout but his fierce temper unnerves the larger boy; Snotlout does indeed 'back off.'

"You want your other leg broken, kid?" He fires back for the sake of it, trying to mask his surprise at being challenged.

Tuffnut cracks his knuckles, "You just try it."

There's a long, aching silence and Jack wonders who's going to hit first. Neither do in the end.

"Jesus," Snotlout mutters, "I didn't mean nothing by it. I was just pissed-"

"Just don't call him that again." Tuffnut says quietly, "You know you shouldn't say crap like that."

Snotlout, who isn't used to apologising, mumbles something to Jack and then slopes off. Tuffnut eases himself over to one of the benches and sits, rubbing the splint cradling his injured knee. Jack goes and sits beside him.

"You didn't have to do that, buddy."

Tuff flushes like he always does around Jack and keeps his eyes to the floor, "Yeah well…Snot's been turning into an asshole lately anyway."

Jack smiles, "I really appreciate it."

Tuffnut manages a smile but it's weak and awkward. He drastically tries to change the subject, "I uh…I better get going. My dad gets cranky if I'm home late."

"Quite a disciplinarian is he?"

"Let's just say that if I'm late he'll make sure I have the sorest butt in town."

Jack raises his eyebrows, "Ah, I see. He hasn't quite gotten out of the spanking regime has he?"

"Unfortunately not."

"Look, if you're worried, you can stay at mine."

The colour returns to Tuffnut's cheeks, "Really?"

"Sure. My parents won't mind, they're cool with me having friends over. And if they decide to go out for the evening, we'll have the place to ourselves. Tuff? Are you alright? You've gone pale."

* * *

Tuffnut is oddly quiet in Jack's house. He just stands there in the hallway, fingertips tapping at the splint on his knee, as he watches Jack slipping off his sneakers and putting them on the doormat.

"Need any help?" He asks, glancing at Tuff's splint.

"Yeah, actually." Tuffnut sits down on the bottom stair while Jack stoops down and carefully eases off the shoe on his injured leg; Jack notices that the other boy stiffens slightly when he touches him but he dismisses this thought and assumes it's down to the pain. When Jack lets go, Tuff looks slightly disappointed.

He notices that Jack's parents are rather surprised by his presence; they greet him kindly enough but they keep glancing at each other - and then at Jack questioningly. His little sister Emma glares at him from the corner and then says all too loudly to her mother, "That's not Hiccup," to which Jack quickly drags him upstairs.

The atmosphere is anything but relaxed between them; they talk but Tuffnut can't look Jack fully in the eyes and he figits constantly. Jack seems rather put off as well; every so often his voice gains a tremor and he looks up to the ceiling as if trying to blink away tears.

"So…did you hear about Astrid?" Tuffnut says at last to break the ice.

"What about her?"

Tuffnut lowers his eyes, "She was attacked the other night."

Jack stiffens, "Really?"

"Yeah, someone knocked her round the head they reckon."

"Did she say who?"

"No, she never saw their face."

"Oh…" Jack relaxes slightly, "Well, let's hope they're caught soon."

"To be honest, I think she had it coming," at this, Tuffnut snarls slightly, "She was acting like such a slut…" and then he adds in a mumble, "…around you."

"Hmm…" Jack seems keen to change the subject. He shuffles over to one side of the bed, giving Tuff room to slide in next to him, "Tuff…do you trust me?"

Tuffnut looks at him curiously - he really does have lovely eyes - and for a moment Jack dares to think he looks shy, 'I do Jack, I really do."

"And you can keep a secret, right?"

"Shoot."

Jack sighs and begins playing with that long blonde hair, "It's just…Tuff I…"

He looks into those large, confused eyes and suddenly he's so desperate for Hiccup. He wants to be loved again. He wants those green eyes, that freckly skin. He wants to tangle his fingers through that chocolate brown hair and run his lips against that pink, soft mouth. He wants that rush of warm energy that he misses so dearly.

And then he sees Hiccup below him, with his slightly crooked, yet lovely smile and he flushes with relief. He leans down and captures his lips, putting his hands on either side of his face. His hands move about and peel off his turtle green shirt, throwing it aside, their warm bodies pressing together.

Yes, this what he remembers; gently caressing around his chest, sucking at that slim neck and then ending his journey at those tender lips. Warm, welcoming, reassuring...

He looks down at Hiccup, with his large trusting eyes and he presses their naked chests together, combining their heartbeats, moving their wet lips in synch. Hands move and cling to his back, scraping the skin slightly with their frantic nails.

His hips jerk without meaning to and he accidentally sinks his teeth too far into Hiccup's neck, earning a gasp.

He's been wanting this for a long time. Almost a lifetime.

But then he opens his eyes and it's not Hiccup at all.

It's Tuffnut, who has leant in for more but when he captures Jack's gaze, his whole face flushes red.

"I..." His eyes are suddenly too big for his face, "Frost, I...look, I didn't mean it." He suddenly leaps away from Jack as if he's made of fire, "I was just kidding around, you know? I'm not...I'm not queer-"

And Jack gives him a pained look and he reads off it; because Tuffnut is smarter than he looks. And he understands.

"You mean...you're-?"

He cuts off, because Jack has nodded, confirming all suspicions. He suddenly feels sick, majorly sick.

"Shit..."

He buries his face in his hands but Jack shuffles over to him before he can start crying.

"Was it really that obvious Tuff?" he asks with a faint smile on his face, folding the other boy's long hair behind his ears.

Tuffnut looks at him, eyes slightly shiny and manages a smirk, "Not really. But I'm good at reading people. Always have been. Was it really that obvious that I...you know..?"

"Well...you did always go red when I came near you._ That_ was a bit of a giveaway. But Tuff, you've got nothing to be ashamed of-"

"Snot won't see it that way."

"Well, who says he'll find out? It's between you and me, okay?"

Tuffnut lowers his eyes, "I guess."

Jack presses their foreheads together, "I'm sorry about that...I mean before...I got carried away. You see...look, you can't tell _anyone_ this but...Hiccup and I-"

"-Are together, I know. I told you, I'm good at reading things."

"Oh.." Jack feels stupid for a moment, "Well..._were_ together would be a better term."

"You split? Why?"

"...My ex..."

"What about your ex?"

Jack looks down at the bedsheets; he feels two hands cupping each side of his face and their eyes meet again.

"Jack..." Tuffnut is serious, refusing to lose eye contact, "What did your ex do?"

The snow-haired boy allows his bottom lip to tremble and his cheeks go red slightly, "He...he said..." he swallows harshly, "...he was going to hurt him..."

"Hurt Hiccup?"

"Mm hm."

"Son of a bitch..." Tuffnut mutters and presses their foreheads together again while Jack tries hard not to let the tears flow.

"What am I going to do, Tuff? I just want Hiccup to be safe...if anything happened to him..."

The other boy is unresponsive at first; he's too deep in thought. Then he looks up at Jack again.

"We have to do something."

"_We_?"

"Yes, we. Friends are supposed to pull you out of shit, aren't they?"

"I guess-"

"Then listen up."

So Jack listens.


	23. Plotting

'Tuff, this is nuts!' Jack exclaims, glancing around the park as if worried that a fleet of demons will begin attacking them out of nowhere.

'Shut up,' Tuffnut hisses, glancing around, 'You want this to work don't you.'

'Tuffnut Thorston, you are not putting yourself in danger to save my ass.' Jack scolds him as if he's a child, finger pointed right in the direction of the other boy's face, 'I won't allow it.'

Tuffnut rolls his eyes at him, 'You're going to have to let me if you want Hiccup back.'

This tugs at a heartstring; Jack lowers his eyes.

'You're crazy...' he mutters.

'That I am,' Tuffnut grins and then they hear the turning of wheels, 'He's here.'

Midday is when Pitch comes out alone on his bike; Jack knows this from experience. As soon as his tall, slim figure is within sight, Tuffnut grabs Jack's face and crushes their lips together. Jack is unsure of what is going on; only that Tuff's lips are warmer than he remembered them being and that he suddenly feels very uncharacteristically dizzy. His cheeks go hot and his breaths come out short and shuddery. For one fearful moment, he fears he may accidentally nip Tuffnut's bottom lip.

He knows Pitch has seen; he can sense it in the air. That slight unevenness as those dark eyes fall upon him like an ocean. And though he doesn't realise at the time, another set of eyes are watching him from across the way; Hiccup had overheard Jack talking about the park the day before and had wandered down to see if there was any chance of talking him round. He wouldn't be stroppy about it, nor would he beg. He would simply ask why Jack found it necessary for them to break up when things were going so well and then see if there was any chance of them getting back together.

But he sees Jack now, with his lips against Tuffnut's and his mind tells him that Jack has moved on. With a boy that used to treat him like dirt - that's what hurts the most. Though he can understand why Tuffnut took his fancy - despite being brash and loud, Tuffnut does have a lovely face. Unusual, but not bad to look at.

He doesn't notice Pitch. If he had, perhaps he would have sensed that things were not all as they seemed. He just sees Jack, with his new love and decides that it's time he stopped chasing him. He needs to let go. After all, Jack's had no problem moving on.

Tuffnut keeps an eye open all the way through their kissing, glaring over at the boy on the bike who stares back with the same amount of force. He's noticed alright and from the look on his face, he isn't impressed. Jack waits until he hears the turning of wheels, announcing Pitch's departure, before pulling away.

'Did he-?'

Tuffnut nods, 'And yeah, he was pissed.'

'Dammit Tuff, he'll kill you.'

'Exactly. He'll be so busy trying to hunt me down now, he'll leave Hiccup open to you.'

'But Tuff-'

A finger is shoved against his lips, 'Drop it Frost, or I'll have to hurt you.'

Jack snorts but the concern is mounted in his eyes. Tuffnut pulls his finger away and lands another kiss on those soft lips just for the sake of it.

'Trust me.' Are his only words, but at the same time he crosses two fingers behind his back for luck.


	24. Warning

Astrid stares at herself, at the cold pale face opposite her in the mirror. Her cheeks have lost all colour, her lipstick has smudged to the corner of her mouth and her eyes are leaking long, thick strips of mascara.

She's a mess. She's always been a mess.

She inhales deeply and applies fresh lipstick, patting her hair into its proper shape. There's one person that's been on her mind constantly lately and no matter what she does to distract herself, she can't seem to shake him off.

That _damn_ Jack Frost.

She hadn't meant for it to happen - she had no idea it would all go this far. She knew what Pitch was capable of but she never thought that he was capable of_ that_. Of abuse. Or rape.

And she was angry; she had staggered out of the locker room, feeling the blood from the back of her head mangle into her hair and eventually found her way to the street - where she ran into the figure on his bike. A long, thin arm held out a handkerchief for her to take and wipe her eyes with.

She remembered that cold voice, "_I'll help you ruin Jack Frost."_

And she had given him the information he needed; where Hiccup Haddock lived, hung out and most of all, what he was deeply afraid of. Pitch had access to Hiccup at any time, any place.

She just wanted him to split them up. She didn't mean for it to turn out such a mess.

She pulls down the hem of her dress so it reaches her knees; her heels are suddenly too high so she takes them off, rubbing the soles of her feet. She struggles to compose herself and keep the tears at bay. Now is not the time for crying; she just wants to talk to Jack and explain what happened.

Who knows? Perhaps he'll forgive her and...

She rolls her eyes at herself. As if Jack will have any sort of interest in her now. And besides, he doesn't swing that way. He's made that perfectly clear.

Someone knocks at her front door and she freezes, praying it's not her father. Her father wouldn't like to see her like this. He already has several nicknames for her - _whore_, _slut_ and _tart_ being his favourite ones. She doesn't need a black eye added to the agenda.

She gathers her courage and goes to answer the door - and she's immediately slammed up against the wall, a solid arm pressing against her throat.

"You sick, twisted little cow."

It's not her father. Someone much worse.

"What the hell are you playing at, Ruffnut?" she chokes, struggling in the stronger girl's grip, "Hands off!"

"You just couldn't help it, could you?" Ruffnut snarls, "You couldn't just leave Jack and Hic alone, could you? You've always been a jealous slapper, _haven't_ you?"

Astrid spits in her eye and seizes her chance to escape but Ruffnut is faster than she looks; she seizes her legs and they both end up on the floor, entangled.

"You're not going anywhere," Ruffnut straddles her, taking both her shoulders and slamming her head against the wooden floorboards until Astrid sees stars, "Not until you agree to sort this shit out."

Astrid kicks out in an attempt to get her off but she's too weak; she glares up at Ruffnut with her cold, joyless eyes, "And what if I don't?"

Her answer is a knee in the gut.

"Gah! Get _off_! What do you care about Frigid anyway?"

Ruffnut seizes her throat, "My brother is in danger now thanks to your antics. And if he gets hurt, I swear I'll rip up that pretty face of yours."

Astrid's expression becomes solemn, "Tuffnut? But why-?"

"I've been doing some snooping," Ruffnut replies, "He's distracting that son of a bitch while Jack makes amends with Hic. And all I know is that this 'Pitch' bastard wants his guts for garters. And it's all because of _you_."

Astrid looks at her, eyes wide, "But...how did you know it was me who-?"

"Like I said, I've been doing some snooping. For God's sake Astrid, everyone knows you're besotted with Jack. And I know you didn't get knocked around the head by some stranger either. Wanna know _how_ I know that? Because I saw Jack leave the locker room with lipstick all smudged around his mouth. Either he was taking up a new hobby or you had been trying to stick your bloody tongue down his throat."

Astrid growls, forgetting that beneath Ruffnut's thick skull there is a brilliant brain working inside, "Got it all worked out, haven't you, you crazy bitch?"

Ruffnut hauls her forwards, so their faces are inches apart, "Don't fuck with me, Hofferson."

Astrid gives up her defensive state and begins to plead, "There's nothing I can do. He wouldn't listen to me. There's no way I can-"

"Then you better hope nothing happens to Tuff - or Hiccup and Jack for that matter."

She's as focused as a hawk watching a rat; she looks at Astrid with such a sullen glare, as if she can see through her head.

"Because if he hurts _any_ of them," her hands move to her throat again, "I'll make sure you're pissing blood for the next month, you get me?"

Astrid considers this and a tear rolls down from the corner of her eye; she ignores it, glowering up at Ruffnut, determined not to be put off by her threat.

"Understood."


	25. Reuniting

"Are you sure this is Hiccup's place?" Tuffnut murmurs, watching the house in the darkness.

"That's the one." Jack says in response.

"Get a move on then. Help me shift this ladder."

They pull the heavy object towards the house, leaning it against the solid brick wall; Jack tests it, shaking it a few times until he's sure it's steady. When he's certain it won't topple over with his weight, he puts a foot on the bottom step and attempts to calm his sudden fear of heights.

"Well...here I go..." he turns to Tuffnut, "You will be careful won't you?"

"Trust me, I'm fast on my feet." Tuffnut smirks, "They'll never catch me."

"Tuff..."

"Don't waste time Jack. If Pitch comes sniffing around here, we're fucked."

"I know but..." Jack glances up at Hiccup's bedroom window; the light is on, the dim glow making the boy's presence obvious. He turns back to Tuffnut, "If you get hurt-"

"Forget about me." Tuffnut says firmly, "Now get your ass up there."

Jack hesitates, hops off the ladder a moment and takes Tuffnut's face in his hands; they share a kiss, a chaste kiss that suddenly fills Tuffnut with a dull sense of fear, as his mind actually processes what he's getting himself into. But it's worth it. He's not sure why...oh damn, of course he knows why but he'll never say it.

They pull apart, share a shaky laugh and then Jack is pushed in the direction of the house again.

"Go." Is all Tuffnut says to him.

The other boy complies, albeit hesitantly and begins climbing up the ladder. Tuffnut watches him until he reaches the window and then turns his hood up so it hides his eyes and quickly disappears into the shadows.

* * *

Hiccup finds himself curled up with Toothless for most of the evening. He's been moping around for a while now; he just can't be bothered to do anything anymore. It all seems like a huge waste of energy. Everything's a waste without Jack.

There's a soft tap at his window and he almost jumps out of his skin. He freezes and Toothless' hackles go up, a soft growl emitting from the back of his throat. Hiccup touches his snout to calm him down and carefully moves towards the window, hand gripping the curtain uncertainly before drawing it back. He shrieks when he sees the face and Jack almost falls backwards right off the ladder. He steadies himself, thankfully, and finds that Hiccup has already got the window open.

"Jack?" He blinks, wondering if he's dreaming, "Jack, what are you-?"

Jack puts a finger to his lips and attempts to manoeuvre himself gracefully through the window - only to end up falling flat on his face. Toothless evidently recognises him - as his tail suddenly begins to wag to the point of falling off and his proceeds to coat Jack's face with slaver.

"Hiccup!" Stoick's voice booms from downstairs, "Was that you screaming?! And what's all that banging for?!"

"Yeah, it was just me Dad!" Hiccup calls back, quickly tugging Jack off the floor, "I'm doing homework! Force of gravity, science, all that jazz!"

He waits until he's sure his dad isn't listening in anymore and then turns to Jack, who is slightly flabbergasted from his little tumble, pulling Toothless off him by the collar.

"Jack, what are you doing here?"

Jack composes himself long enough to look Hiccup in the eye; he takes the smaller boy's face in his hands, "Listen, Hic, I know this is all rather absurd but here's the long and short of it - Pitch said he would hurt you if I didn't break up with you, so I did to keep you safe but now everything's just turned into absolute crap and I can't live without you and this is so cliché but-"

Hiccup silences him with a kiss. Jack doesn't need to talk anymore. He just needs the feel of his lips. They fall back against the bed and kiss for all they are worth; their dry spell has left them hungry and their passion for each other is unable to tame it.

"But Jack..." Hiccup pauses, "You and Tuffnut..."

"It was all a ploy, Hic. Tuffnut's found a way to get Pitch off our case. That's why I'm here right now."

"Jack! He'll tear him apart!"

"Tuffnut's smart," Jack doesn't sound all too convinced himself but he sees Hiccup's worry and gently caresses his cheek, "He'll be fine Hic, trust me."

He leans down again, intending to finish what they had started.

"I thought it was me..." Hiccup gasps in between kisses, "I thought I had messed up, done something wrong-"

"It was never you Hic." Jack whispered back, planting the softest of kisses along Hiccup's throat and collarbone, "You're perfect," his eyes suddenly go moist and he hides his face in Hiccup's neck, "You were always pefect..."

"Jack," Hiccup soothes, "It's alright-"

"No it's not," Jack's words are muffled in Hiccup's neck, choked by his sobs, "I should have fought for you. I should never have ended it between us. I've been so miserable without you, Hic."

"Jack, words can't even explain how much I missed you."

They resume in exchanging delicate kisses, softly tracing each other's lips to regain that sweet taste they've been longing for all this time. Jack moves to kiss around Hiccup's shoulder when he notices the outline of a faint scratch. And another beside it, trailing towards his arm.

"Hic..." he says quietly, "What are these?"

Hiccup glances at his shoulder, "Don't worry Jack. It's not what you think; Toothless nicked me in a play fight, that's all. I forgot to clip his nails."

Jack doesn't sense any dishonesty in his face and leans over to kiss the sore looking scratches, while Hiccup lowers his eyes in thought.

"I wont lie; sometimes I thought about it." He says quietly, cringing when he feels Jack pause, "But I wouldn't have...I don't _think_ I would have..."

Jack doesn't want to hear anymore; he kisses Hiccup again quickly and feels two arms curling around his neck, pulling him down.

"I love you Jack..."

"I love you too," Jack smiles into the kiss, "And I won't ever leave you again. I promise."


	26. Sacrificing

The pain in his knee comes as a brief distraction but Tuffnut is determined to remain focused. Of course his injury means that escaping will be a challenge, but right now he doesn't care if he breaks a leg; he just needs to keep Pitch occupied while Jack is with Hiccup.

He limps over to the darkest part of the estate, where the street lights are dim and the chances of anyone hearing your screams for help very doubtful. He lingers a while, pretending to text - and then in the dim glow of his cellphone light, he hears the turning of wheels.

And before he can even turn to confront Pitch, he finds himself slammed up against the wall of one of the houses, his skull almost cracking from the impact. His lips emit a single, pained gasp.

"Little boys really shouldn't be out this time of night..." Pitch's voice is smooth but Tuffnut senses the threat beneath his gentle tone.

"Get off." He snaps unwisely.

This only vents Pitch's irritation; the hand moves to Tuffnut's throat and presses down sharply.

"Jack Frost moves quickly."

"You think so?" Tuffnut chokes, "He has good taste, that's all."

"Well, I can't argue with that." Pitch fingers a lock of that long, blonde hair. The hold on Tuffnut's throat gentles slightly and the other hand moves down to his waist, tugging him forward, "You're not bad at all."

Tuffnut resists the urge to spit in his eye, "Quite a charmer, aren't you?"

Pitch smirks, "I wouldn't advise sarcasm."

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?"

The other boy purrs with his broad British accent, "I may have to spank your little bottom until you learn to be polite."

Tuffnut flushes red and the pain in his knee suddenly returns; he takes his weight off that leg, lifting his foot off the ground slightly, "That's a bit of a lame threat."

Pitch tugs him forwards again, until they're both touching and Tuffnut is beginning to see what Jack fell for when he first met the tall, pale boy; Pitch has this sinister, yet fetching look about him; dark serious eyes that make you feel strangely secure as well as ill at ease. He's this dominant, almost paternal type figure who can lull you into a false sense of security. He doesn't buy it but for now, he'll have to.

His body goes stiff as a pair of cold, colourless lips hover close to his face and he turns so Pitch captures his cheek instead of his lips. The feeling is...somewhat calming. And the side of his face is left feeling like ice.

"You really made a mistake in meeting Jack Frost." Pitch moves his lips to Tuffnut's ear, placing another feather light kiss there.

And Tuffnut already knows what's going to happen; two hands grasp his sides and the sweet atmosphere quickly turns sour. His back hits the sidewalk and he sees stars.

"You were a _very_ silly boy for getting involved in this."

Tuffnut wants to laugh at him,_ Oh, you have no idea, you sick twisted bastard. Jack and Hiccup are at it right now and you've just walked into our plan like a mouse to a trap._

He feels his clothes being carefully peeled off and the dirt on the ground sticks to his back, moist and sticky from the rain that fell the night before. His hands are pinned to the floor. He feels Pitch on top of him, his weight causing pain to shoot to his knee again.

Fear begins to wash over like a tidal wave but strangely, he doesn't panic. As long as Jack and Hiccup are safe, he doesn't really care what happens to him.

It's only when he feels Pitch enter him that he screams with all he is worth.


	27. Suffering

Astrid lingers around the curb a while longer before changing her mind and crossing the road. She's unsure of what she's doing but she's still in the mindset that she needs to warn Jack about Pitch. Like Ruffnut said, she's started this mess and now she needs to get everyone else out of it.

She hears the bike before she has a chance to go any further. The familiar dark figure looms over her.

"Bit late, princess."

She glowers at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Pitch sticks his tongue out and licks at the cuts around his mouth, "That boy certainly knew how to put up a fight."

She stares at him, brow furrowing, "What have you done?"

He cycles around her, ignoring the question, "Jack Frost is all yours."

"What do you mean?"

"I've taken care of his little mistress." Pitch rolls his eyes in thought, "Pity. He was a pretty little thing."

_Tuffnut,_ is the only word Astrid can think of.

"What the _hell_ did you do?" She stamps her heel against the pavement, "What have you done?"

Pitch smirks in response, drawing an imaginary knife across his throat before cycling off into the shadows. Astrid takes a moment to process what he's just said to her and when she realises what's happened, she sinks onto the sidewalk and begins to cry.

* * *

The first realisation Tuffnut makes is that he's not dead.

His eyes open on their own accord and he feels like he's just woken up; but before he can even attempt movement a sea of pain washes over him and he has to force himself to remain still. His arms and legs are wet. The pain in his knee is enough to kill him. There's blood matted into his hair.

He cries for a moment. At the pain - and the torment of it all. His lower area feels weak and there's a burning sensation spreading along his crotch which he doesn't even want to acknowledge. He feels sick and he fears he'll spill his guts out all over the pavement if he doesn't get some bloody help soon.

His cellphone lies meters away from him; Pitch had smashed it against the ground repeatedly, but despite the large crack on the screen, he figures he'll still able to make an emergency call. He can barely move so he drags himself across the floor, wincing at his useless legs and when he can't continue he reaches out a desperate hand and taps it until it comes to life. He was wise enough to leave the power on.

He doesn't care who he calls. Anyone will do, just anyone. His fingers weakly scroll down the list of names until he finds Ruffnut. He prays to God that she hasn't gone to sleep yet.

It rings a while - and eventually Ruffnut's voice barks sleepily from the other end, "Tuff? Where the hell are you? Mom and dad are going nuts! If you're out bingeing with Snotlout again, dad is gonna have your ass-"

"Ruff..." Tuffnut's breathing comes out in small shudders, "Shut up will you?"

Ruffnut senses his tone, "Bro? What's going on? Where are you?"

"Ruff..." That's all Tuffnut is able to get out; his vision is blurring from the loss of blood, both from his insides and the stab wounds on various parts of his body.

"Tuff, quit fucking around." Ruffnut sounds anxious, "Look, just tell me where you are and I'll get dad to pick you up-"

"Sis...I love you."

"What?"

"I never...I never told you that...enough..."

"Tuff, what's happened?" Ruffnut is panicking now, something she rarely does unless the situation is dire, "Where are you?"

"I love you." Tuffnut can't speak anymore. His finger slips and he ends the call. He doesn't want his twin's pained voice to be the last thing he hears.

The agonised tears make their way down his cheeks again and he shifts, though it only makes the feeling worse. He makes a final, desperate attempt at life and moves his fingers to scroll down his contact list again.

With the last of his failing strength he stabs his finger against the name "Snotlout" and after wracking his brains for the name of the street he is lying in, slowly types an SOS message before he gives in to the pain and rests his tired head on the sidewalk.

* * *

Hiccup pauses in his kissing when he hears Jack's cell beep from his pocket.

"Jack, you should answer that. It might be important."

"Leave it." Jack mutters, pressing their lips together again.

But the ringing noise continues until it can't be ignored. The snow-haired boy growls and pulls himself off Hiccup for a brief moment to answer it.

"This better be good," he mutters, stabbing a finger on the button and putting it to his ear, "Yeah?"

Hiccup sighs and flops back on the bed; he glances over at Toothless who is in the corner, blinking disapprovingly at him with his large green eyes. _Blink, blink, blink_.

Hiccup pokes his tongue out at him and turns to ask who Jack is talking to. Jack still has his back to him but the hand holding the cellphone is shaking.

"Jack?"

This little hiss of worry goes ignored. Jack suddenly clutches the phone with both hands.

"Ruff?" He mumbles, "Ruff, calm down. I can't understand what you're saying. What about Tuffnut? He hasn't come home? Look, Ruff it's okay, I'm sure he'll..."

He trails off and Hiccup doesn't like the silence that follows. Jack doesn't speak for a while and when Ruffnut eventually lets him off the line, he's as white as paper.

"Hic..." He takes the smaller boys face in his hands, "Hic, listen, you need to get your dad out of the house."

"Jack, what's going on-?"

"_Please_ Hic, just trust me." Jack sounds annoyed for a moment; then he shuts his eyes to calm his frustration and gently kisses the boy opposite, "Get him to go out with Ana or something. Something's happened to Tuffnut."

Hiccup's eyes darken, "Was it Pitch?"

His response is a swift nod. Hiccup leaps off his bed straight away and out his bedroom door while Jack put his head in his hands and calmly wipes the tears that have formed at the sides of his eyes.

Toothless hops onto the bed next to him and begins licking his face in comfort.


	28. Cleansing

Hiccup manages to convince Stoick and Ana to go and catch the late night movie that's showing at the cinema down the road. It seems that only seconds after they're gone someone hammers at the front door.

"I'll get it," Jack says before Hiccup has the chance.

He opens the door and Snotlout comes through immediately with something in his arms. Something or _someone._

"Tuff..." Jack mutters, as Snot takes him into the living room and rests him on the couch, "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know...I just got a text and..." Snotlout runs his fingers through his hair in distress, "I think he's been stabbed."

"Damn..." Jack attempts to keep himself calm and goes into Hiccup's kitchen in search of a first aid kit; he finds one and tries to remember all the techniques his mother Clarice taught him about dressing a wound. He carefully cleans it, washing out all the dirt with the antiseptic wipes to prevent infection. He notices Tuffnut stiffens slightly through this process but he doesn't make a sound.

When he's done and the bleeding has stopped, he takes out a pad to cover the wound and fastens it on. He does all this in silence, while Snotlout watches in awe, and then wipes the blood from his hands.

"That should hold it. Thankfully it wasn't deep."

_Pitch was careless this time, thankfully._

"Shit Jack," Snot mutters, "Is he gonna be alright?"

Jack doesn't reply; he smooths back Tuffnut's hair, fingers brushing against the dried blood tangled in his roots. Tuffnut seems to be conscious but unresponsive to everything around him; his eyes are closed, fingers twitching slightly, his breath low and hollow. Jack allows a sigh to escape his lips and he rests his forehead against the other boy's cold one.

"I'm sorry..."

"Jack?" Hiccup calls from the doorway, "What's going on?"

Jack doesn't even move; Hiccup catches sight of the inert boy on the couch and his hands fly up to his mouth.

"Oh God...oh _God_ Jack..."

The snow-haired boy watches him and a wave of pain passes between them; he goes and puts his arms around the smaller boy, holding him close as Hiccup presses his face into his front.

"Ssh, baby..." He murmurs and presses a tender kiss into Hiccup's hair, "Everything will be alright, I promise."

Snotlout stares at them - and Jack knows he's already worked out what's going on. Their eyes lock in a tense glare, with Jack sending a warning over that if Snot tries anything, there will be trouble. But Snotlout just nods at him, a single curt nod and goes back to watching Tuffnut again.

"What are we going to do?" Hiccup asks when he's calmed down, though his eyes have begun to swum with unshed tears.

Jack pauses in thought, "We should get him cleaned up," he observes the blood around Tuffnut's crotch, "Hic, could you nip upstairs and get the tub running?"

Hiccup nods and quickly jogs up to the bathroom; Jack turns to Snotlout, who still holds that questioning gaze but keeps his mouth shut.

"Call Ruffnut. Tell her what's happened."

Snot nods slowly and whips out his phone; in the meantime Jack goes to Tuffnut and begins tapping his cheek.

"Come on Tuff..." he taps a little harder, "Open your eyes."

Tuffnut seems to respond to his voice; his eyes open ever so slowly, though he seems to find even this smallest movement a task. Jack flushes, relieved and puts a hand on his forehead as Tuff moves his mouth to speak.

"Don't try and talk," Jack murmurs gently, "You're alright Tuff, you're safe."

Tuffnut watches him, his gaze unfocused. But the sides of his mouth twitch upwards slightly and Jack feels his weak hands grip onto his front.

"Do you think you can walk?'

Tuffnut manages a frail nod. Jack takes one of his arms over his shoulder and carefully eases him off the couch, looking over at Snotlout who is obviously getting a earful from Ruffnut on the other line.

"Yes Ruff...no Ruff...yes Ruff, he's fine, just..." he looks at Jack helplessly.

Once he's got Tuffnut upstairs, they meet Hiccup in the bathroom, turning off the taps.

"Bath's done." He says quietly, "Now comes the tricky part."

They try to remove Tuffnut's clothes without causing any pain but the sudden exposure brings back flashing images of his ordeal and he screams. Hiccup does his best to be a comfort - he and Tuffnut never got along but without him, the reunion between he and Jack would never have happened. He runs his fingers through the long blonde hair to calm him until Jack's carefully slid his pants off, removing the splint from his knee. He glances at the pad strapped to his knife wound.

"Don't worry," says Hiccup, "It's waterproof."

Tuffnut seems to regain some sort of understanding as to where he is once he is safely lowered into the warm water; Jack and Hiccup take their time washing him down, smoothing shower gel over his bruised shoulders, massaging shampoo into his dry, knotted hair and then rinsing it, restoring it to its usual sleek shape. Tuffnut is silent throughout but the water puts him at ease and cleanses the filth he feels from his assault.

When he's finished and dried, Hiccup fishes out some spare clothes for him; loose sweats and a comfortable hoodie that won't stick to his skin too much. He takes his ripped and bloody clothes to the washing machine, while Jack rests Tuffnut back onto the couch, insuring he is comfortable.

"You're together aren't you?"

Jack turns and looks over at Snotlout. The larger boy looks uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to another.

"You and Frigi- I mean, Hiccup. You're together."

Jack nods slowly, wondering what will occur next. Snotlout seems too shaken to do anything.

"Yes...we are."

Snotlout takes a while to drink that in, "Right..." and then he shrugs, "I see..."

The level of awkwardness in the room reaches its peak and Jack coughs.

"Is Ruff coming?" he asks, shifting a cushion behind Tuffnut's head.

"Yeah," Snotlout replies, his voice no longer hoarse, "I've never heard her talk like that though, she sounded...scared."

"Can't blame her."

"Yeah..." Snotlout glances at Tuffnut again, "What happened to him Jack? Who did it? Why?"

Jack shakes his head at him, "It's all my fault Snot." He lowers his eyes at this realisation and stares at the floor, "It's all my fault..."


	29. Crying

Ruffnut hammers on the door until her knuckles nearly wear the wood thin.

"About time!" she barks when it opens, pushing past Snotlout, "Where is he? Where the fuck is that careless, unthoughtful rat I call my brother-?"

She cuts off when she notices Tuffnut on the couch. He's conscious now but blinks at her with slight confusion, as if this is the first time they have met.

"Shit..." she mutters and she suddenly hurries over, pulling him into a tight hug - only to change personalities again and begin beating him about the head with the nearest cushion.

"Ow, Ruff! Chill! I'm fine!" He covers his head to protect it from the blows and then quickly catches her wrists, "Stop it!"

"I wont!" She yells, though she allows the cushion to fall out of her hold, "What the _hell_ were you thinking?! You know that bastard's dangerous!"

Jack watches from the background, Hiccup holding his hand concernedly and then he says, "It was my fault Ruff."

She stops yelling and looks over at him, her gaze a questioning one. She looks back at her brother and then to Jack again.

"How could it be-?"

"Tuffnut offered to distract him...that's why I'm here. I should have stopped him," water rushes to Jack's eyes and he shudders, "I should never have let him suggest it in the first place...I'm sorry..."

Hiccup puts his arms around him while Ruffnut shakes her head.

"That fucking whore Astrid. _She_ started all this. I'll snap her neck-"

"Leave her out of this," Tuff muttered, sitting up with minor difficulty, "Just call Dad and tell him I'm okay."

"Not until you tell me what he did to you."

Tuffnut sighs and lifts his borrowed shirt, allowing Ruffnut to gawp at the wound pad, which is slightly stained with blood.

"Is that it?" she asks in a shaking voice, "That's all he did?"

Her twin looks to the floor, clearly not going to reply. Ruffnut looks at Jack again and his lips twitch.

"Don't tell her!" Tuffnut cries, but he knows the secret will out eventually. Jack stiffens, looking Ruffnut straight in the eye.

'He was raped.'

She takes a moment to drink that comment in - before turning around and punching a wall.

'That, sick, twisted-!' she cuts off and suddenly she has her face in her hands and much to everyone's disbelief, she's sobbing. Seeing Ruffnut cry is like seeing a puppy being kicked; she goes to Tuffnut and pulls him into another hug, foreheads pressed together until he's crying too; both of them just sitting there, their tears mingling, wetting their cheeks and the material of the couch below them.

Snotlout shifts awkwardly. Hiccup takes hold of Jack's hand and squeezes it to let him know that he's proud of him for being honest with Ruffnut, for doing the right thing.

Jack looks set to start crying himself.


	30. Hoping

Snotlout gives the twins a ride home. Hiccup assumes that Stoick and Ana have stayed out for dinner too, which gives him time to sort out the living room. Jack hangs around, occasionally texting Ruffnut to check how her brother is.

'Stupid, stupid...' he mutters and Hiccup realises he's referring to himself.

'What did Ruff say?'

Jack stuffs his cell back into his pocket, 'Tuffnut passed out again during the ride home. Their parents are getting him to the hospital.'

'Did she tell them what happened?'

'No. She said he got into a fight...' Jack lowers his eyes, 'This is all my fault.'

'Stop saying that.' Hiccup goes over and takes him by the shoulders, 'What good are you doing saying stuff like that?'

'But it's true!' Jack cries, tearing away from him, 'I should never have let him put his ass on the line for me!'

'Jack, what could you have possibly done? He was determined!'

'I could have talked him out of it! I just...I was desperate to be with you again! I was so fucking selfish!'

'Jack-'

'I should have just sorted Pitch out myself! I've ruined _everything_!'

His fist flies out and slams against the wall; fortunately he doesn't hit hard enough to break any bones but it's enough to cause a fresh burst of pain and he feels tears rush to his eyes; the frustration and torment of everything bring all his emotions flooding out and he can't take it anymore. He throws himself onto the couch, burying his face into one of the cushions and begins to sob.

Hiccup watches him nervously and then remembers what he used to do when Jack was upset over his asshole of an algebra teacher; he sits beside him, rubbing his back until he's calmed down a bit and then gently takes him in his arms, rocking back and forth while Jack howls into his neck.

Toothless comes in, confused by all the drama and senses Jack's distress; he lollops over to the two of them and buries his big head into Hiccup's knee, whining along with Jack's crying. Hiccup continues rocking Jack with one arm, reaching out the other to gently pat between the mutt's ears to calm him also.

He hears keys turning in the door and feels Jack shift.

'Hiccup?'

He meets his father's eyes and then Ana's, holding Jack closer. It's quite an awkward situation - especially with Toothless still warbling in the background.

'Hiccup,' Stoick's eye falls to the snow-haired boy in his arms, 'What's _he_ doing here?'

Jack sniffs, nervously lifting his head to look at the tall burly man, his grip on Hiccup getting firmer when he meets his disapproving gaze.

'It's okay Dad,' Hiccup says quietly, pressing his cheek against Jack's hair, 'It's fine. _We're_ fine.'

Stoick opens his mouth - perhaps to protest or ask what the hell his son means - but then he closes it again and nods. He understands.

'I see.'

Jack sighs with relief and rests his head against Hiccup's front, his eyes red and sore. The phone starts from the kitchen and Ana goes to answer it, while Stoick remains standing there with his hands on his hips, eyes slightly disbelieving.

'Just _exactly_ what is going on here?'

'Dad, please,' Hiccup can't stand his tone, 'I told you, we're fine.'

'After what he did to you?'

'He didn't _do_ anything. We broke up because things were a little difficult but now it's resolved and we're back together. Okay?'

Hiccup rarely snaps, especially at his father so this sentence comes as a surprise to Stoick. Ana comes hurrying back from the kitchen, phone in hand.

'It's your mother Jack.'

'Oh no...' Jack takes the phone, trying with all his might to speak without a tremor in his voice, 'H-hi Mom. Yeah Mom, I'm fine. I was just out with some friends, that's all. Yes, I know I should have called you. I know I shouldn't have turned my cell off; I'm sorry Mom, I'm really sorry. What? No, no, you don't need to pick me up. I'm fine staying here-' he then looks at Hiccup, 'If that's okay with you...'

The soft lips brushing against his own indicates a 'yes.'

'Mm...yeah Mom, I'm still here. It's fine; I'll stay at Hiccup's tonight...yeah, I know I said we'd broken up but things are different now. No, that other kid wasn't my new boyfriend...yes, you can tell Emma. Look, Mom, I gotta go. Okay, love you too, bye.'

'Well Dad?' Hiccup addresses Stoick, looking up at him with his large, green eyes.

Stoick grumbles and Ana swats his large arm fondly, 'Alright, alright, fine. I'll allow it as long as there's no funny business in the bedroom,' and then he turns to Jack, poking him in the nose, 'I like you, Frost. I think you're a very sophisticated young gentleman who behaves himself. But if you _ever_ hurt my boy like that again, there will be serious consequences. Understood?'

Jack swallows loudly, 'Y-yes sir, understood...'

* * *

'Are you gonna tell your parents?' Hiccup asks, his head curled underneath Jack's chin. It's the early hours of the morning but neither of them can sleep, despite the fact both their bodies are exhausted.

'I'll have to,' Jack replies, 'They know something's up. I can't keep lying to them.'

'That's true.'

Jack shifts on the bed, rubbing the ends of Hiccup's hair with his fingertips, 'Pitch will kill me when he finds out we're back together.'

'No, he'll kill _me_.'

Jack shudders and holds the boy closer, 'If he even touches you-'

Hiccup places a finger on his lips, 'Let's forget about Pitch, just for one night. I'm tired of being scared Jack. Let's just think about us for now.'

'I just don't want you to get hurt...'

'I won't,' and Hiccup gently rests his lips against those opposite, 'Not while you're here.'


End file.
